Hybrid Camry launched in UAE

dubai — Al-Futtaim Motors, the distributor of Toyota vehicles in the UAE, has launched its popular hybrid electric car Camry for the retail customers, which offers 70 per cent more fuel efficiency.

Priced at Dh133,500, a hybrid Camry comes with 50 litre tank and can cover 1,300km in a full tank which could cost around Dh130. From the fleet perspective, the hybrid Camry save 9,000 litres of fuel and Dh24,000 in savings a year while a retail customer can save one-third who is a very frequent driver, said Yugo Miyamoto, chief representative of Toyota for the Mena region. “Mileage depends on the driver’s behaviour and the condition of the roads. But a retail customer can drive minimum 1,000 kilometres in a full tank. Its thermal efficiency is 30 per cent more than the normal engine,” said Yugo Miyamoto, chief representative for the Mena region.

The hybrid vehicle covers, on average, 26km in a litre as compared to 15km by its fuel-driven peer.

Toyota Hybrid Camry is currently part of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority’s massive fleet size. RTA endorsed a contract for 554 hybrid vehicles in August last year. Led by Dubai, the UAE government is pushing for more environment-friendly vehicles in the UAE, hence many government entities are increasingly replacing their fleets with the fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce CO2 emission.

While comparing the electric vehicles (EVs) with hybrid electric vehicles, Miyamoto said the biggest challenge for the EVs is the lack of infrastructure such as charging stations in the UAE.

“We believe hybrid electric vehicles are the best solution now because you save the fuel and environment as well as get longer mileage when compared to electric vehicles. You don’t find power stations everywhere here so you need to go to certain spots to charge them. For example, if you go to Abu Dhabi and come back you need to find a place to recharge the vehicle. And it takes over half an hour to charge it,” he said.