2012 Toyota Camry & its Creator | Interview with Mr. Keiichi Yoneda

AutoMiddleEast.com had a chat with Mr. Keiichi Yoneda, Deputy Chief Engineer, a key man behind the 2012 Toyota Camry, during his recent visit to Dubai.

Pankaj: Hello Yoneda-san! What were the key pointers in the brief for 2012 Camry?

Yoneda-san: ‘ERA’, it stands for ‘Emotional’ and the ‘Rational’. Rational stands for Quality, durability and reliability abbreviated to ‘QDR’. We wanted to add an emotional touch to the car. By ‘emotional’, we refer to the handling, acceleration, drive-ability aspects of the car.

Pankaj: There is more interior space in the new car while maintaining similar exterior dimensions of the previous Camry. How did you achieve this?

Yoneda-san: We reduced the accelerator pedal stroke by 7 mm and moved the rear seat 8mm back thereby gaining additional 15 mm of space in the passenger cabin area. We gave the back of the front seats an arch-shaped frame which got us more leg space for the rear passengers. The front seats can be moved down lower to suit driving posture of taller drivers, again adding to more space. The redesigned roof liner in 2012 Toyota Camry flows with the contours of the roof giving us some additional headroom. Combined effect of these small but significant changes has been that the persons inside our 2012 Toyota Camry feel more space around them.

Fadi: Yoneda-san, you have worked on sports cars like Celica, Supra and the magnificent LFA before working on the Camry. I believe it is harder to make a car for everyday use than those used on the weekends. What do you think?

Yoneda-san: My stint with Toyota has been a long one.  After working for 17 years in the Body Design Division, I was made in charge of Lexus LS and the Century, mostly luxury cars. In the year 2000 I moved to the planning division and for 5 years I was in charge of LFA. The experience gained by working on different products and divisions is invaluable. I started to idealize the perfect vehicle about the time I became the Chief Engineer for IS convertible, then I shifted to Camry. I drive the Camry everyday. The requirements for a sports car and passenger car might be different, but I’d like to think that all cars have four wheels and they are not so different from each other from an engineering perspective.

George: Nowadays, most companies are tending towards turbocharging technology. Was a 1.6-litre turbocharged an option or did you want to stick with a naturally aspirated engine?

Yoneda-san: A turbo engine is small but expensive to build. The cost usually comes back to the customer and in a car like Camry, we have to think about the cost. In either case we have to achieve a balance with performance and efficiency and we have done that without the need for a turbo. We believe that a naturally aspirated engine in the 2012 Toyota Camry is better suited for the Middle East region.

George: From an environmental perspective, have recyclable materials been used? Did you try to reduce the C02 emissions?

Yoneda-san: In terms of fuel consumption the new Camry can achieve figures as high as 7.8l/100km, which is the best in its segment. One example of environmentally friendly materials used in the new car is Kenaf, a plant based material from India that was used for the trunk luggage cover in the new Camry.

Pankaj: Which are the key markets globally for the Camry? Here in the Middle East there is a large fleet segment for the car, is that the case globally as well?

Yoneda-san: USA is largest in terms of total sales figures but the fleet requirements are fewer in terms of percentage than the middle east region. A large number of cars sold here are to the fleet segment.

George: You talked about handling and drivability, during the development of the Camry did you test prototypes at the Nurburgring or a similar place?

Yoneda-san: We are not introducing this Camry to the European markets so we didn’t take it to the Nurburgring. We made trips across the US, Australia and China. In Toyota Motor Corporation Japan, we have 3 test courses and one in Arizona. The 2012 Toyota Camry underwent testing at Toyota test centers across the world.

Pankaj, Fadi & George: Thank you for your time, was a pleasure meeting you. Arigatou gozaimasu

Yoneda-san: Shukran.