Problems with Camry Hybrid 2016

Dear friends

To buy pr not to buy a Camry hybrid 2016

There are a number of members in the group who are not owners yet. They are really testing the water and wanting to know more about the car. They are gathering more info so that they can make a better decisions when the time comes.

Lately, the sale of hybrid cars is heading south in Malaysia and in developed countries because of the low price of petrol. ( I suspect the price of petrol next month should go down by 10 sen or at least the same price in order to support the petrol dealers of the crunch time. They have lost a lot lately.)

Hence, Its a bit difficult to convince buyers to go hybrid when the Brent crude is hovering at US 45 per barrel. The low price of petrol is one reason why people don't buy hybrids. What other reasons that they use not to get one?

1. Poor handling

One reason why the hybrid is not embraced is because people have the perception that hybrid cars have poor handling. This may be partly true because a hybrid has two types of engines namely the combustion engine and the electric motors. The weight of these two power sources put the strain on the front portion of the car and this invariably affect the handling department. But the handling of the Camry is not bad at all because of the slightly aggressive tread of the OEM tyres. Although not as sharp as the Non hybrid Honda Accord the hybrid handles quite reasonably well.

2. High maintenance cost.

Toyota claims that the maintenance cost of the hybrid does not differ much from the non hybrid
version nonetheless on average the cost of maintenance is very much higher . This is due to the higher road tax the owner has to pay due to bigger engine displacements. Secondly the wider tyres used in the hybrid would cost 100 ringgit extra per tyre for every two years . Thirdly is the cost of the AGM battery which costs up to 5 times higher. All these cost money.

3.Higher price.

The price of the hybrid is the main reason why people are very shy towards the hybrid. Without the government incentives the hybrids in the show room would just collect dust. I hope the special tax break for hybrids assembled in Malaysia would continue . Otherwise, potential buyers would just not even look at them.

4. Too sophisticated engine

For some , the name hybrid denotes something complex and sophisticated. Although not entirely true this has been a factor that discourages people from adopting the system. They dare not take risks of their so called investment.

5. Ignorance and averse to risk taking

A lot of Malaysians are just typical buyers who are not well read in terms of new technology in auto industries. They prefer to play safe and let the risk takers like us to suffer first. Once every risk factors have settled down only then they start their predatory moves.

So guys , these are the reasons for not buying the Camry hybrid. I believe they are other reasons that potential users have used to rationalize for not getting the car.

Camry hybrid features / Features in Camry Hybrid 2016

Hi gals...

6 cool things that not many people know about Camry hybrid.

Even though Toyota Camry hybrid has been introduced early last year, not every body knows in greater detail about the Camry hybrid. This is due to the fact that the design of the car looks so normal or so conventional. There's nothing about the car that tells other people that the vehicle is a hybrid other than a small logo "Hybrid Synergy Drive" at the back of the car and the blue light that circles the Toyota emblem

1.TCH has no tachometer

Most conventional car has a tachometer to show how hard the combustion engine is working. The instrument panel is popularly known as the RPM instrument. But hybrid cars dont have that because the car is run by the engine or the electric motor or both. What it has is an instrument to show whether the battery is being charged .

2. TCH drives for 2 km quietly under EV mode

The Camry hybrid is unlike other non hybrid vehicles because it can run on battery juice for at least 2 kilometres up to 40 km/h. This feature is particularly important when one is driving around the housing estate. We can drive quietly at night without disturbing the neighbours. This is the time Camry hybrid owners can show off their hybrid power.

3. Faster than non hybrid cars

Not many people know this. They thought that the Camry hybrid is a 'pondan' car that's only good for saving fuel. This is not true at all . It can muster all the instant electric torque to do a sprint of 100 km/h in less than 8.3 seconds. That is faster than most cars on the road

4. Can harness energy when braking.

One of the smart features of the Camry hybrid is that it hates to waste energy. It even could harness energy when braking and turn the braking activity into energy which is then stored in the battery.This process is called regenerative braking. The whirring sound that you hear when braking the car is the result of this.

5. Does not have to warm up the engine

When I was young I was reminded by my father to warm up the engine for a few minutes before driving the car. This is needed to make sure that the engine does not stutter. Later , I learned that modern engine does not need to be warmed up for too long. It just needs not more than 20 seconds because of the good quality of oil that we use. Now we dont even need to warm up the engine. Just turn on the switch and off you go.

6.Air cond is run using battery power.

In non hybrid cars we need to use the combustion engine to run the air con because the cooling unit really saps a lot of power. But in the hybrid the aircond is run electrically.The engine is used to charge the battery which runs the aircond. That is why we still have the cool breeze when the engine is not running. We only hear the hum of the aircond running without hearing the engine noise.

So these are some of these features that not many people know about. Sometimes even the owners of Camry hybrid know all these things.

Reasons not to buy Toyota Camry Hybrid

Dear friends

Toyota Camry hybrid 2016

5 lame excuses not to get a Camry Hybrid

1. Battery wont last long

The traction battery in the Camry hybrid is assured by Toyota Malaysia to last at least 8 years. In some states in the US like California have legislated laws that ensure traction batteries would have to last at least 10 years. Canada too has a law demanding that the main battery would have to serve at least the same number of years. If that does not convince you this probably will.A great majority of hybrid owners around the world have used their cars for more than 10 years without buying new hybrid batteries and majority also have travelled more than 300 000 miles.

2. Hybrid engine is too new , complicated and risky. The Camry hybrid I have to admit is a very new vehicle and has a totally new engine in Malaysia and it was only introduced last year in 2015. But the hybrid car was first introduced more than 20 years ago in Japan and in the US.The hybrid technology is not new. And Toyota has sold over 9 000,000 vehicles . Yes 9 million hybrid cars and most of these vehicles are still on the road today. In short, the hybrid technology is not really new and has been used for so many years.The engine although quite sophisticated is very reliable.

3. Toyota Camry hybrid is expensive. Yes I have to admit that the Camry hybrid is not cheap. It's retailed at RM 170,000. That's a lot of dough to throw away but what you get is an executive car. The same amount of money would also get you a 2.4 L Honda Accord which is just a conventional car minus all the latest hybrid technology. So If you compare with the Accord you will see that it's a really good value and not very expensive.

4. The hybrid will not save you money. This is not true at all. Buying a hybrid wil indeed save you a lot of money on petrol. You will save a lot more if you use the car around town or if you do your driving mostly in urban areas. You petrol expenditure will be half the usual amount. You will get back your heavy initial investment after 7 years of ownership. If you drive more than 10 year you ROI will be greater.

5. The road tax is too much to pay because of the bigger capacity engine. Yes the Camry hybrid does come with a big 2.5 L engine. But the road tax that you have to pay is only around RM 800. The high amount of money spent on the road tax can be recouped if you use the car for at least for 7 years. In the long run, the money saved on petrol would payback

In short, these are just lame excuses that you create in order not not to get a Camry hybrid. In reality, the hybrid is really a good buy.

Hybrid Vs Diesel : Toyota Camry Hybrid 2016

Hi boys and girls...

Lately , Ive come across an advertisement by Berjaya group of their intention of selling a diesel CX 5. I've never driven a CX 5 in the petrol version but I've read reviews locally and abroad of how good the car is especially in terms of the joy that you get from driving the SUV . Now, they are bringing in the diesel version of the car with more bountiful torque. This would dramatically improve the performance of the car. But the issue is whether it makes financial sense to buy a diesel vis a vis the hybrid?

1. I believe its quite difficult for Mazda franchisee to convince ordinary Malaysians of the beauty of diesel.Malaysia is definitely not a diesel country like India or the UK. Even small cars in those countries have diesel engines. In the US, only 2.3 % of the vehicles sold are diesel. I dont have data on the number of cars in Malaysia having diesel engines but I believe its just miniscule limiting to owners of Mercedes C 270 or some old Citroens. People just dont buy diesels.

2. Malaysians are really reluctant to buy diesel cars because of their outdated perception of what diesel is. They think of diesel as a car that is noisy and dirty. They still remember vividly of the clattery diesel sounds and the excessive smoke emitted by diesel engines like the 'Bas mini' and the old Foh Hup buses that ply Kajang- KLroute. All these are not true anymore. I remember driving diesel Skoda Superb in the UK last year and was totally blown away by its performance , quietness and economy. Honestly, a I would probably get a Skoda diesel than the Camry Hybrid if there's no difference in terms of the price.

3. Malaysians also don't buy diesel because diesel cars are generally priced much higher compared to the petrol version. It is sometimes 20,000 ringgit higher which does not make any financial sense to buy the oil burner. Naza however has introduced the big sized SUV cheaper than the petrol version and I believe this is a good start. But the awful thing is that people in France, Norway and recently in India are beginning to adopt hybrid or electric vehicles. Some countries like France and the Philippines even ban diesel cars from entering the city centre.

4. Another thing that works against Malaysians from buying diesel vehicles is the perception that cars with diesel engines have low resale value. Diesel cars would lose 50 % of their value once they leave the showroom. That's how bad the value of diesel vehicle is.

5. Last but not least is the maintenance cost of owning a diesel car. I believe the maintenance will be a bit more expensive than the petrol version. Spare parts for the oil burner always cost more than the petrol version.

In short , I still believe that the diesel fever will not happen in this country. Although its good to own a diesel engine especially with regard to its performance but other factors beyond your control would stop us from buying one.

Owners of Toyota Camry hybrid

Dear readers....

Who are the owners of Camry hybrid?

It not easy to determine the ownership traits of Camry hybrid. But based on my years of experience and good circle of friends I could actually list down some commonalities or key denominators that make up these owners.

1. The owners of TCH are mainly senior managers, high ranking govt officials, young entrepreneurs, directors of multi national companies, bank managers, powerful women VPs of big companies, and owners of SMEs.

2. Most of the drivers of Camry hybrid are happily married men and savoring their so called success. They seem to be loyal to their wife but occasionally forgot that they are married. They seem to have selective amnesia whenever they need it.

3. They really love their family and their children and willing to give their best when it comes children's education and financial planning.

4. They are mainly cautious about spending their money unnecessarily or things that are not important. Sometimes they can be so ,'kedekut' to buy expensive jewelry for their wife and will come up with all sort of excuses not to go vacation overseas.

5. They are between the age of 35 to 55 years old but still very strong physically and emotionally stable.

6. They don't go and look out for girlfriends or mistresses but will not refuse or reject outright those pretty girls who need advice and some comforting.

7. Occasionally, they give advice to other people and motivate them to achieve their best and most of the time they are strongly opinionated.

8. The women who drive a Camry hybrid are powerful and influential personnel in their companies. These are no nonsense women and act like an iron lady but most of the time they are still single. (KY Tham or Calvin Yau please dont start investigating their backgrounds).

9. They are honest and imbued with great communicative ability and able to charm lots of people.

10. They are financially stable and maintain a good investment portfolio.

11. They can be very loving and romantic. (This trait I purposely create and dont sell this trait to every girl you meet)

So there you are guys some of the common traits of owners of Camry hybrid. I know most of you are not very happy about it but do take it in stride. We are the owners of Camry Hybrid.