2019 Toyota Camry and Avalon Get TRD Treatment

Two Toyota sedans, the Camry and Avalon, have finally gotten the proper treatment from the Toyota Racing Development division (TRD), resulting in two new sporty variants that will launch at the upcoming 2018 LA Auto Show. This confirms the Japanese automaker’s push towards performance vehicles.

The Toyota Camry and Avalon are great sedans, although they never really became high-performance ones. This is going to change, however, with TRD deciding to get involved in their developments. Toyota has announced that both new models will be unveiled at the end of the month.

TRD’s focus is not only on cars. In fact, the division has been hard at work over the past year on improving various Toyota trucks. There was still time for a 86 TRD Special Edition though, which debuted last July. The upcoming Camry and Avalon will complement the lineup of Toyota TRDs.

As you can see, the teaser shows the front ends of both cars from one side only. The Camry is painted in white while the Avalon is wrapped in red with its aggressive gaping mouth intake clearly seen, and without chrome ornaments – which could mean that it’s the Touring or XSE variant. Another thing we can notice is that the two models get a more fierce lip fitted to the bottom of the black-painted front bumper.

The cars will also gain black TRD wheels, likely with meatier tires. Located behind the Camry’s 14-spoke wheels in front is the red brake calipers (probably Brembo) which indicate better brakes. Judging from TRD’s trackrecord in the past, the division actually loves to fiddle with a vehicle’s roadholding rather than giving it extra horsepower for a quicker sprint and higher top speed.

It therefore should not be surprising if many of TRD’s work revolves around the suspension tuning, shock absorbers, and other frame-related parts. For example, the 86 TRD Edition features Sachs shock absorbers and a stiffened frame with thicker sway bars.

As for the engine, it should be identical for both cars, which is a 3.5-liter V-6 making 301 HP and 267 lb-ft of torque. The two should also have the same 8-speed automatic transmission as the regular models. Last but not least, the weight of the cars might be reduced for optimal performance, but of course without neglecting comfort.