New Look for Toyota Camry Taking Shape for 2015

It appears that Carl Edwards won’t be the only new face for Toyota in 2015.

Well before the debut of the 2015 Toyota Camry production car at the New York Auto Show in April, Toyota Racing Development was full steam ahead in development of a vehicle for competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season.

Toyota had surrendered its first rendering on the 2015 car to NASCAR earlier this month but was returned for further development.

“We had a preliminary submission, but we have more work to do,”  said David Wilson, president and GM of Toyota Racing Development. “We’ve been working with NASCAR on the car. They give you the opportunity to see where you are and of course our objective is to get the most performance out of it as possible.

“We have to pass their submission criteria, so we’re going to have another go at it and hope to have that put to bed in the middle August. Then we’ll unveil it to the public and get ready for 2015.”

Wilson acknowledged that Toyota has a lot on their plate in preparation for next season. On top of the new model Camry, Toyota is working with Chevrolet and Ford on a new engine package that will see around 100 horsepower taken from the Sprint Cup cars next season.

“We have a lot of respect for NASCAR’s commitment to continue to try and improve the quality of racing, the quality of entertainment,” Wilson said. “It’s always a fine line of course because change whether it’s rules, whether it’s body or engine, it takes time and it can have financial implications for the OEMs as well as for our team partners. That’s the part we’re all sensitive to particularly in this time.

“What’s good about it is that there’s a process now – NASCAR and the team there in Concord are treating us as stakeholders. They’re soliciting our opinions. We have some say in it – and that’s healthy.”

The new Camry will be the third design of the car since Toyota’s debut in the Sprint Cup Series in 2007. Notable changes to the 2015 Camry include a new front fascia, tail, and character lines.

“We’re happy, very happy,” Wilson said. “We’re excited because the new Camry looks great and we look forward to getting it out on the race track because 2015 is going to be a big year for us because we pace the Daytona 500 again. It’s our turn and we’ll have our 2015 Camry pacing the field.”