Toyota's ninth-generation Camry hybrid rolls off assembly line

Team members at Toyota’s longest-running U.S. vehicle manufacturing facility celebrated as the ninth-generation Camry rolled off the assembly line for the first time. The 2025 Camry is powered exclusively with the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid System, part of Toyota’s multi-pathway approach to electrification, the company said.

“Today would not be possible without our incredibly talented team members,” Kerry Creech, president of Toyota Kentucky said. “Starting production of the new Camry is another proof point that Toyota is committed to providing secure employment and has been for nearly four decades. We continue to stay true to that promise by reinvesting profits in this plant and preparing our team members for future production opportunities, including a variety of electrified vehicles.”

Toyota Kentucky and the Camry have become synonymous, with more than 11 million assembled to date and over $10B invested in the plant and local communities, Toyota said.

“I feel blessed for the many years I have spent with Toyota and am proud of all the great things we have achieved,” Markee Robinson, the production team leader said. “While our plant continues to grow and change, I am confident that Toyota will continue to provide job stability and secure employment for decades to come, just as they have for me and my family.”

Toyota’s most recent $1.3B investment in the Georgetown facility further boosts electrification efforts, including the assembly of an all-new, three-row battery electric SUV for the U.S. market, the company said. The new vehicle supports Toyota’s multi-path approach to provide customers with options for electrified products that best suit individual needs now and in the future.

Toyota has announced new investments totaling more than $18.6B into its U.S. manufacturing operations since 2021 to support electrification efforts.

Toyota Kentucky has been a hub of the automaker’s North American operations since 1986.

Hitachi Astemo is developing 360-degree-camera, semi-active suspension and steer-by-wire technologies to improve electric- and autonomous-vehicle performance. The company's 360-degree stereo vision camera system provides LiDAR-like results to support autonomous driving functions at one-tenth the cost, according to Harsha Badarinarayan, Hitachi Astemo’s vice president of advanced engineering.

“While LiDAR has gained prominence in recent years, camera technology has steadily and quietly evolved to offset LiDAR’s advantages, including nighttime operation and the ability to sense the surrounding environment with greater fidelity,” Badarinarayan noted. “It’s why carmakers like Tesla are committed to camera technology.”