Toyota Dealer Displays Crashed Camry: Here's Why
Most car dealerships tend to keep crashed vehicles away from the onlooker's visual reach. This is due to the fear that seeing the crashed cars could potentially create a negative impression about the car brand and its safety levels, in the minds of the larger public. Can you imagine a manufacturer proudly displaying a crashed car at its dealership? Well, a couple of years ago, we came across such an occurrence...
In May 2018, a Toyota showroom in Surprise, Arizona put a crashed Camry on display at their dealership. The car was involved in a horrific crash. A dealer staff was on his way to the Sky Harbor Airport to pick up a customer flying in from California, when a semi-trailer rammed into the Camry's rear. The impact pushed it to the rear of another truck that was driving in front of him. The sedan ended up taking dual impacts.
The dealer soon took to social media with pictures of the crashed Camry and narrated the story behind it to curious netizens. The car here was a 2018 Toyota Camry LE. It is clear from these images that the impact was severe. Despite this, the staff who was driving the sedan could walk out of it post-crash.
The passenger cabin can be seen intact and the doors seem to work properly as well. This shows the sheer build quality of the vehicle, and was also the reason for the dealer to showcase the crashed car at their facility.
This showcasing was quite vocal about the Camry's strong build and high safety levels. Back in the day, visitors were even briefed on the vehicle's crashworthiness, by showing how this truck-hit car's cabin remained in shape.
The staff would talk about how smartly integrated crumple zones at both front and rear, protected the driver here by absorbing the impact. The severely damaged exterior essentially points at crumple zones that absorb the impact. As this incident happened years ago, it is unclear if the Toyota of Surprise still has the crashed Camry on display.
What Are Crumple Zones?
In the Indian context, Maruti Suzuki has been a strong advocate of the 'crumple zone' concept. We have seen them (over) use it for long. For the uninitiated, a crumple zone (or crush zone) is a structural safety feature designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy during a collision. It leads to a controlled deformation and reduces if not prevents the force from being transferred to the vehicle's occupants or cabin itself.
Toyota of Surprise tried to show to its customers just the same. It wanted to explain how modern and smart engineering could save lives without stuffing the vehicle with truckloads of electronics and driver aids. Don't get us wrong, the Camry here had a lot of electronic safety aids as well. Another takeaway that we have from this showcase is that not every crash that looks horrible from the outside could have resulted in the loss of lives...
More About The Camry
The Camry involved in the crash is based on Toyota’s New Generation Architecture (TNGA) platform. Its hybrid version was sold in India, with a price of Rs 37.46 lakh. It had a hybrid powertrain using a 2.5-liter petrol engine as its base. It had a combined output of 202 bhp and 213 Nm of torque, and was claimed to deliver excellent fuel efficiency as well.
It came equipped with a slew of safety features and tech. The list included nine airbags, anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic stability control (ESP), traction control, hill-hold assist, and more.
Toyota launched the ninth generation Camry in India in 2024, at an ex-showroom price of Rs 48 Lakh- much higher than its previous pricing. Though it doesn't drive volumes, the Camry has managed to gather a dedicated fanbase in India as well, with its safety and comfort levels.