The Camry's long road to the top

If one car best captures Americans' taste in automobiles, it's the Toyota Camry, America's bestselling car every year except for one since 1997.

But it took almost a decade and a half to get there.

The front-wheel-drive Camry debuted for 1983, replacing the rear-wheel-drive Corona. Unlike its competitor, the Honda Accord, which was available as a sedan or coupe, the Camry was only available as a sedan, although it was offered as a liftback or notchback.

At 175.6 inches long, about the same length as a 2012 Corolla, the 1983 Camry was powered by a 92-horsepower 2.0-liter overhead-cam engine, which got a 3-hp bump for 1985. A turbocharged diesel engine was optional, but never proved popular.

The Camry's boxy styling was softened when it was restyled for 1987. The new model was longer, wider and more powerful. The four-door sedan was still offered, although a station wagon replaced the liftback model. Underneath the sheet metal, the four-cylinder engine now employed double-overhead-cams and produced 115 horsepower. A five-speed manual transmission was offered, but most Camrys were fitted with four-speed automatics.

For 1988 the Camry became a U.S. citizen, as the first American-built Camrys rolled off the line in Georgetown, Ky. New options included a 2.5-liter, dual-overhead-cam V6 engine that pumped out 153 horsepower and Toyota's "All-Trac" all-wheel-drive system.

Things changed dramatically for the third-generation Camry, introduced in 1992. The car was totally redesigned specifically for the American market, available only as a sedan. The wheelbase grew an inch, while overall length was up by 6 inches. Most Camrys were delivered with a larger four-cylinder engine, a 2.2-liter unit delivering 130 horsepower. The V6 was larger as well, displacing 3.0 liters and producing 185 horsepower. The station wagon rejoined the lineup for 1993, with a coupe added the following year.

This generation of the car was so smooth and so refined, it was used as the basis for the Lexus ES 300, a fact that wasn't missed by consumers.

1995 saw the car receive a minor styling change in both the front and rear. Safety was upgraded as well, with the addition of passenger side air bags, which joined the driver air bags and optional antilock brakes.

Two years later, the Camry once more underwent significant changes. The car's sumptuous curves were traded for a boxier look. The coupe and wagon were dropped. Power was up slightly, with the four now producing 133 hp and the V6 pumping out 194 hp. Antilock brakes and an automatic transmission were standard on all models except the base CE.

In 1999, a coupe rejoined the lineup. Dubbed the Camry Solara, it used the same engines and platform, but unlike the previous Camry coupe, it boasted unique styling that owed little to its sibling.

The following year, the Camry got a bit of a design freshening, in preparation for an all-new model that debuted two years later.

Surprisingly, the 2002 model had lines that in some regards harkened back to the 1992 model. Clearly Toyota was trying to recapture some of that car's magic, as it was the first all-new platform in 10 years. Once more, the Camry grew in size and power. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine was good for 157 hp, while the 3.0-liter V6 was rated at 192 hp. Transmissions remained unchanged. All models could be fitted with an automatic transmission, but only four-cylinder Camrys could be fitted with a manual. A navigation system was a new option.

A new V6 engine was introduced two years later, a 3.3-liter mill pumping out 225 horsepower. In 2005, the car got design revisions, while antilock brakes became standard on all models.

The sixth-generation Camry debuted in 2007, with styling that once more replaced soft lines with a more dynamic, angular appearance. The four-cylinder engine carried over, still rated at 158 hp, while the V6 grew to 3.5 liters, and 268 hp. All transmissions were five-speed units. In addition, a hybrid model debuted and marked the first time a Toyota hybrid was built in the United States. Three years later, the Camry received a makeover, while the four-cylinder engine grew to 2.5 liters and could be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Now in its seventh generation for 2012, the Camry -- an Anglicized version of the Japanese word kan-muri, or crown -- has grown to become the king of the American midsize market.