Digest of the day: the future Toyota Camry, Lemarc oil and other industry events
Toyota has published a teaser of an unnamed car with the caption “A new dawn is coming.” In outline and proportions, the car is very similar to the Camry of the current generation, that is, we can talk about upgrading a sedan or even a new generation. According to rumors, the sedan will be built on the existing TNGA-K platform, which is the basis of the current Camry. The timing of the full premiere has not yet been announced, but this Toyota should enter the market next year.
In Japan, sales of minivans Lexus LM (Luxury Mover) have begun: the second generation debuted earlier this year. If the first LM was exclusive to China and a number of other Asian countries (but not Japan), then the new model will become global. For the home market, only the Lexus LM 500h all-wheel drive hybrid (371 hp) with a 2.4 turbo engine, a six-speed automatic and two electric motors is offered. Sales will begin in January at a price of 20 million yen, that is, 12.9 million rubles in direct translation at the current exchange rate. This is more than twice as much as they ask for the top version of the related Toyota Alphard minivan (8.7 million yen).
Also, a five-door Suzuki Jimny has been announced for the Japanese market. Such an elongated SUV was introduced in January of this year, but five-doors are produced only in India at the Maruti Suzuki joint venture. The timing of the start of deliveries of Indian cars in Japan has not yet been announced. The Jimny has continuous axles on both axles, a 1.5 (105 hp) gasoline engine with a starter generator, as well as a four-stage “automatic” or five-stage “mechanics”.
Orders are being accepted for hybrid supercrossers Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E Performance Coupe. This is the most extreme version in the range, which has a 680-horsepower powerplant based on a two-liter turbocharger. In Germany, such a coupe-like crossover will cost from 124236 euros, which is about 2500 euros more expensive than a similar car with a basic body.
The Chinese company BYD continues to expand into the markets of the Old World. The nineteenth European country where these electric vehicles are sold is Hungary. The local range consists of three models – the Dolphin hatchback, the Seal sedan and the Atto 3 compact crossover. BYD has been operating in this Eastern European country since 2017: there is a factory where electric buses and traction batteries are produced.
At the former plant of the French oil company Total in the Vorsino Industrial Park (Kaluga Region), an official ceremony was held to launch the production of lubricants under the brand Lemarc. Now the company belongs to the company “Top Lubricants”, the new range includes engine and transmission oils. Production at this site was restarted back in April of this year, but now the official opening has taken place. The estimated capacity is 75 thousand tons of lubricants per year. The manufacturer’s plans also include obtaining permits from European automakers.
The company Hongqi has announced plans to expand the model range in the Russian market. Within six months, three more models will join the existing four cars that have been on sale since the beginning of summer. These are the elongated Hongqi H9+ sedan (pictured), the Hongqi HS3 midsize crossover and the large Hongqi HQ9 luxury minivan. An expansion of the set of modifications of already sold models has also been announced: for example, the standard Hongqi H9 sedan will have a version with all-wheel drive (currently only rear-wheel drive is offered).
Also today we talked about the financial results of Tesla.