DETROIT (AFX) - Some of the midsize passenger cars coming to the North American International Auto Show could give a fresh approach to a long-standing question: How does any automaker unseat the Toyota Camry?
The Camry has been the top-selling passenger car in the United States for the past five years and led the pack for nine of the past 10. In 2006, Toyota Motor Corp. introduced a restyled, more athletic version that has kept the dependable vehicle No. 1.
In Detroit, two of Toyota's main competitors, General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co., could be offering roadmaps on how they may try to challenge the Camry. In the competitive midsize segment, the industry is offering more stylish, sporty models in an attempt to reduce the boredom factor that has marked some of the dependable midsize vehicles in the past.
'The various manufacturers recognize that to keep the sales alive it can't just be a good workhorse anymore -- it really has to be exciting. There has to be more appeal,' said Dave Conant, president of the Newport Beach, Calif.-based CAR Group, which sells Honda and Toyota brands.
The new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, debuting Tuesday, will be drastically restyled, with sweeping lines, a bold front grille and a wider stance atop a more powerful engine. Consumers often associate quality, fuel economy and safety with Asian manufacturers, but the Malibu can be equal or better in those categories, GM says.
The new Malibu will try to make an emotional connection with consumers looking for an eye-catching midsize car while also offering practicality: GM's five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
'It's a highly competitive segment but it's a segment where Chevy has to do well,' said GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner. 'Chevy's our big-dog brand, as we say, and drives a lot of volume.'
Honda Motor Co., meanwhile, on Monday is showcasing an Accord coupe concept, which could give buyers a better sense of how the Japanese automaker will restyle future Accord sedans.
Sketches displayed in advance of the auto show indicate a bolder, more youthful approach, something that could mark new Accords expected to arrive in September.
Honda has remained mum on the new design. Company officials stressed the coupe only accounts for about 10 percent of Accord sales and the concept serves as a styling exercise.
Analysts said the Camry brand could be vulnerable because the average owner's age is in the mid-50s and the midsize segment has been moving in a bolder direction.
Erich Merkle, director of forecasting for the auto consulting company IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids, said U.S. brands can beat the Asians by taking risks with uniquely American designs like DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group did with the popular 300.
'I think the Japanese are incredibly vulnerable in terms of design. Toyota, they're Maytag,' Merkle said. 'They can be beat on designs, but the American automakers have to take risks themselves.'
But others note that the Camry has held its nearly perfect streak since dethroning Ford Motor Co.'s Taurus as the nation's best-selling car and any challenge -- especially from GM -- will not come easily.
'The worst possible scenario for Detroit is if the Japanese started designing expressive vehicles -- getting some emotion into their designs,' said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst at Global Insight, an economic research and consulting company. 'We see the trend in Japanese vehicles toward more expressive design -- that in fact could make them that much more stronger.'
Since the 1990s, the Camry has transitioned from its boxy, dependable start to a more athletic exterior. The midsize has maintained its notoriety for being reliable, affordable and offering solid gas mileage as it has progressed.
Camry remained the top-selling passenger vehicle in 2006, according to Autodata Inc., selling nearly 450,000 units, an increase of nearly 4 percent compared with 2005. The Accord was second among passenger vehicles with 354,000, but its sales fell about 4 percent from 2005.
'It's emotion and styling -- we've added that in the Camry and that's why this generation of Camry has been so successful,' said Toyota North American President Jim Press.
Others in the segment are competing for increased market share, including the Nissan Altima, the Ford Fusion, the Chrysler Sebring and the Hyundai Sonata.
John Hawkins, a Montclair, Calif., auto dealer who sells Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Volkswagen models, said the new Altima, which recently hit showroom floors, would be closely watched as well.
'They will know in the next 90 to 180 days how well that Altima is going to compete with the Camry, and the die will be cast,' Hawkins said.
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