Tinkering with success can be a dangerous thing. A redesigned version of the Toyota Camry, America's best-selling car for the past nine years, is going on sale in the U.S.
Toyota recently lost market share and has suffered through bad PR due to recalls, in addition to dealing with the continuing aftereffects of the Japan earthquake. Toyota executives are betting on the new Camry to jump-start the company's future.
The new Camry is so important to Toyota and the industry, I wanted to test one myself and get the opinion of wide-ranging experts.
When I got a test car, I first rolled up to a valet stand in Dearborn, Mich., where I met Ali Nehmi, a hotel valet. Nehmi drives a lot of cars and says the Camry is one of the nicer ones considering it's a Toyota and it's affordable.
"It's a lot [sharper] than the older model. It's a lot more aggressive," Nehmi says. "[It] stands a lot nicer. And it's a lot ... sportier, a lot more edgier."
Nehmi joked that he'd consider buying one but would first have to move out of Dearborn, home to Ford's headquarters.