Best of the Best for '06

And, on another page of same article, re: best selling:

Toyota Camry. The name, in case you've ever wondered, was derived from the Japanese word for crown: kanmuri."

Interesting little tidbit, which I hadn't known.

Cathy

I think it was "Cathy F." who stated:

If you go to

-Don (thought it was interesting)

-- He who laughs last thinks slowest

Thanks. I vaguely remember the Corona model from umpteen years ago. A "corona", AFAIK, also denotes a crown. So... did the Camry replace the Corona? (IOW, was that where it was in the line-up?)

Cathy

In the U.S., the Camry replaced the Corona around the 1983 model year. The first Camry was available in 2 body styles, sedan and hatchback and was the first transverse-mounted front wheel drive Toyota sold in the U.S.

The Tercel was the first front wheel drive Toyota sold in the U.S. but it had a longitudinally mounted engine and drivetrain.

Thanks - the answer I was looking for, and more. ;-)

Cathy

You're welcome! Interestingly enough, the Corona name was still used in other markets

I sort of remember when I was at Okinawa in the 50's Toyota used "Toyopet" and Crown for their cars there. I seem to remember the Crown was a bigger car and the Toyopet small. Both were used as taxi's though.

I believe that the Toyopet pre-dated the Crown. The Crown was the largest model, then the Corona, then the Corolla. All had names with variations of "crown."

Interesting - and I'd agree with all the definitions of Toyota's model names except for Tundra....to me, that name means "it's colder than hell ...doesn't the heater work?"

Actually, I think Camry means "Little Crown". I believe the Crown was a larger model, maybe equivalent to the later Cressida and Avalon.

Lee Richardson Mech-Tech Evansville, Indiana

According to Toyota's web site, "Camry" is Japanese for crown.

The Crown was larger than the Cressida or the Avalon.