Toyota Camry Compressed Natural Gas Hybrid Unveiled in Los Angeles

Autoweek

There are fuel sippers, and then there are fuel shunners. The Toyota Camry hybrid concept unveiled Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show that runs on compressed natural gas falls into the second category.

The car is powered by a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. But the conventional gasoline engine is replaced with the CNG (compressed natural gas) system. Working together, the unit is rated at 170 hp.

The combined fuel-economy rating is 33 mpg--close the conventional hybrid’s 34 mpg--and it doesn’t use a drop of gasoline. The two CNG tanks are installed in the well for the spare tire, and they have the equivalent of eight gallons of gasoline and a range of at least 250 miles.

Toyota had a natural-gas program in 1999 in California, but canceled it after a year because of the lack of a refueling infrastructure. There are less than 1,000 natural-gasoline stations today, and less than half are open to the public, Toyota said.

For the L.A. show, Toyota gussied up the Camry with some concept touches, including custom fascias in the front and rear, 19-by-7.5-inch alloy wheels and run-flat tires. The ride height is lowered and the body gets side skirts and graphics.

We first saw this car at the company’s Sustainable Mobility Seminar in Portland, Ore., this fall.