Camry, Motor Trend's 2007 Car of the Year

2007 Toyota Camry, the redesigned version, won Motor Trend Magazine’s 2007 Car of the Year award. Said award went to all variations of the car including the hybrid. According to Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief of the magazine, Camry is innovative yet has a broad appeal. This is the first year said vehicle has won the award.

"The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build. It offers something for nearly everyone — performance, efficiency and roominess — at a price point most Americans can afford," MacKenzie said.

According to the magazine, the version of Toyota Camry outshone 26 cars that are either totally new or redesigned before the year 2007. Japanese automakers had 10 cars, the US automakers has 6, 5 from Korea, 4 from Germany, 1 from Sweden, and also 1 from United Kingdom. MacKenzie said the redesigned Camry won in a very strong field. "There have never been more choices available to American car buyers. That is a fact of life in the 21st century," MacKenzie added.

Motor Trend's staffers evaluated the entries according to their innovation in engineering, design, safety and technology; their performance and quality; and whether the vehicle delivers value to the consumer. In Motor Trend's search, Camry's competitors were Chrysler Sebring, Saturn Aura, Nissan Altima, Kia Rondo, Honda Fit, Mercedes-Benz S Class, Volvo C70 T5 and the Volkswagen Rabbit.

Through October this year, Toyota Motor Company reported 350,481 sales of Camry. So far, Camry is the hottest-selling car in the United States. Next to Camry is Toyota Corolla. The information was released by Autodata Corp.

Sixth generation of the vehicle uses redesigned auto parts for Toyota Camry. These parts are assembled at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky; Aichi, Japan; and Melbourne, Australia. Camry is competing against Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, Mitsubishi Galant, Mazda6, Ford Fusion and the Chevrolet Malibu.

Corolla, on the other hand, is known for its low fuel consumption, reliability and distinct Toyota engineering. Corolla is manufactured in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Malaysia, Taiwan, Pakistan, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, China, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and India.

The tenth generation Corolla was introduced in Japan this year. In this generation, the automaker incorporated advanced equipment to Toyota Corolla car parts. Advanced equipment include rearview monitor display, one-touch double folding rear seats, and Pre-crash Safety System. Toyota Corolla will be offered in Australia and United States next year.