The Toyota Camry was first introduced as an independent model line in 1982.
Toyota launched the first-generation V10 Camry in Japan on March 24, 1982, after beginning production that March. The car was designed during a period when manufacturers were moving toward smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Its front-wheel-drive layout and transversely mounted engine reflected that shift and helped Toyota compete with cars such as the Honda Accord.
The Camry name can create confusion because Toyota had already used it on the Celica Camry, a rear-wheel-drive sedan whose sales began in Japan in 1980. That model is generally treated as the Camry’s predecessor rather than the first generation of the independent Camry line.
The V10 was initially sold as a four-door sedan in Japan, while a closely related Toyota Vista shared much of its engineering. Export versions followed, helping establish the Camry as an international model. Later generations grew substantially, eventually moving the nameplate from the compact class into the midsize segment in many markets.