The 2024 Toyota Camry is going to be the same car it’s been for the past six years. But in 2025, the vaunted Camry is getting an overhaul, as the ninth-generation model arrives. Some may say that the Camry has gone stale. But Toyota’s decision to hold out on a next generation Toyota Camry until 2025 is as shrewd as they come.

The 2025 Toyota Camry arrives just as Camry sales start slipping

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: the Toyota Camry is still the best-selling midsize sedan on the market. In the second quarter of 2023, 67,233 Camry models left Toyota dealerships. Comparatively, GoodCarBadCar data indicates 52,357 Honda Accord sales and 33,280 Chevy Malibu sales in the same period. 

But, those 67,000 Camrys are still 10,000 units down from the number sold during the same stretch a year ago. By comparison, Honda sold 22,000 more Accords in Q3 2023 than it did in Q3 of 2022.

Annual sales paint a similar picture. Sure, the Camry is up a scant 1.67% compared to 2022. But the freshly redesigned Honda Accord is up a staggering 37.79% so far this year, and it’s not the only car making hay.

Even the Toyota Corolla sales eclipse the ever-popular Camry, while the compact Civic, Elantra, and Kia Forte all show big sales gains throughout 2023. Some might say those numbers prove that Toyota waited too long to redesign its stalwart midsize sedan. But it might actually indicate that the 2025 Toyota Camry is coming at the perfect time.

Toyota lets the competition show its hand

Being the longtime class leader comes with several advantages that go beyond shareholder value. Toyota’s position atop the midsize sedan chart also leaves some wiggle room to let the competition catch up. We’re in a new automotive era, where electrification is changing the landscape on a monthly basis.

Pair that with autonomous vehicle technology and the ever-evolving world of connected cars, and it’s hard to know exactly what’s coming next. Toyota, for its part, was happy to let the competition unveil their new creations before setting the ninth-generation Camry in stone.

As such, the new Honda Accord, the head-turning Hyundai Sonata, and even the underrated Kia K5 gave Toyota a roadmap to midsize sedan success for the next generation.

Neither of those models offers a plug-in hybrid or EV variant, which is a sigh of relief for Toyota. The Japanese automaker is late to the EV party especially, and no all-electric Accord or Sonata let Toyota off the hook for its 2025 Camry. The same is true for autonomous tech, so expect Toyota Safety Sense to be largely the same in the upcoming midsize Toyota four-door.

Will the 2025 Toyota Camry be redesigned?

If the sales successes and critical acclaim of the new Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata prove anything, it’s that style and luxury lead the way. Even for mainstream automotive brands, high-class design and comfort move the needle, and the Gen-9 Camry will surely follow suit.

Don’t forget: the eight-generation Camry set a high bar for midsize sedan design with its aggressive face. It’s a look that drove Honda and Hyundai in wildly different directions for their last-gen designs.

But now, the shoe is on the other foot, and Toyota has a clear road map to follow. Both the current Accord and redesigned Sonata feature sleek, simplified LED lighting and clean lines. Aggression is no longer the word of the day. Instead, refinement has taken over the market.

The same is true inside, where heated and ventilated seats, dual-screen digital dashes, and ambient lighting elements are as predictable as the tides. Expect a redesigned 2025 Toyota Camry to take a similar tack.

The next-generation Camry is sure to be a hit

With touches like these, don’t be surprised to see the 2025 Toyota Camry posting big sales gains and reasserting itself as the top dog midsize sedan once it finally arrives. We won’t have much longer to wait: it’s likely that next-generation Camry models will hit dealerships next summer. And when they do, those big gains for Honda will likely start to slip.