MSRP Adjustments Announced for 2013 Toyota Camry

Based on current data, when the 2013 Toyota Camry comes to town at the beginning of January, it will be in an unexpected position as the No. 2 in its segment—for pricing anyway. As the result of some minor cost increases across the lineup, the entry point to the 2013 Toyota Camry has crept up to $22,235; the only mainstream mid-sizer with a higher MSRP is the 2013 Chevy Malibu, which opens at $22,390.

On the other hand, the 2013 Toyota Camry also will feature some serious sales momentum that shows a low starting price isn’t necessarily the only way to attract high numbers of customers. Yes, the Camry finished November as just the second-best-selling car of the month, but it trailed only an out-of-segment entry—the compact 2012 Honda Civic—while increasing deliveries to 28,765 units (+22.7 percent over the same period in 2011). Further, when we look at the year-to-date numbers, they show the Camry as not only the top-selling car in the country by more than 70,000 units, but also as the No. 2 vehicle of any kind. Yep, the Camry’s 373,479 sales through the end of November, marking a jump of 35.8 percent, are even outpacing the performance of the 2012 Chevy Silverado.

Which makes now a good time to see how the re-priced 2013 Toyota Camry will fit into the mid-size segment going forward.

2013 Toyota Camry: Price Check

First, here’s the lowdown on overall pricing for the 2013 Toyota Camry family. As mentioned, the entry-level Camry L will wear an MSRP of $22,235, and that’s a $180 (0.8 percent) bump over its 2012 sticker. MSRPs for the rest of the lineup are as follows:

• Camry LE—$22,680 (+0.4 percent)
• Camry SE with I4 engine—$23,400 (+0.8 percent)
• Camry XLE with I4 engine—$24,885 (+.0.3 percent)
• Camry Hybrid LE—$26,140 (+0.6 percent)
• Camry Hybrid XLE—$27,670 (+0.6 percent)
• Camry SE with V6—$27,260 (+1.3 percent)
• Camry XLE with V6—$30,465 (+1.2 percent)

Of course, the re-stickered 2013 Toyota Camry team gets some fine-tuning in the content department, too. Toyota’s Display Audio system has been added to the Camry L and Camry Hybrid LE; the Camry SE will offer rear cross-traffic alert technology and include a standard one-tap lane-change feature for its turn signals; and all models will receive at least some upgrades to their cabin materials.

2013 Toyota Camry: Ranking the Rivals

Heading into the 2013 selling season, the mid-size sedan segment is, if anything, hotter than ever. The Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion and Honda Accord are all new, with the Chevy Malibu and Toyota Camry not far behind, and upstarts like the Volkswagen Passat, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima have all become credible choices for consumers. Consider: Going back to November sales again, that last trio all outsold the Malibu—which, unsurprisingly, is now rumored to be in line for a Honda Civic-like emergency refresh.

Thus, the final sales standings last month looked like this: 

Vehicle

Current MSRP

November Sales

November Change

Toyota Camry

$22,055

28,765

+22.7 percent

Honda Accord

$21,680

26,248

+82.8 percent

Nissan Altima

$21,700

20,305

-1.5 percent

Hyundai Sonata

$20,995

17,660

+12.7 percent

Ford Fusion

$21,700

15,125

-24 percent

Kia Optima

$21,200

12,715

+33.4 percent

VW Passat

$20,845

10,544

+75.2 percent

Chevy Malibu

$22,390

10,227

-0.4 percent

(The Chrysler Group remains the only automaker offering old-school mid-size sedans; both the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 had a bit more than 7,000 sales in November and, with MSRPs of $18,995, do provide some value opportunities.)