DETROIT, Nov 14 Reuters The next generation of the Toyota Camry, the bestselling sedan in the U.S. market, will come with only a gaselectric hybrid powertrain, the boldest move yet by the Japanese automaker to push hybrid technology into the heart of the U.S. market.

The 2025 Camry will combine a 2.5liter gasoline engine with an electric drive system tuned to deliver more power in both frontwheel drive and allwheel drive versions of the car, Toyota said.

Compliance with tougher U.S. fuel economy rules was a factor in Toyota39;s decision to make the new Camry an allhybrid vehicle line, dropping four and sixcylinder combustion models that made up about 85 of sales in the current model year, David Christ, head of the Toyota brand in North America, told Reuters. Another factor behind the decision was the performance we were able to get out of the hybrid, he said.

While Toyota has accelerated development of electricvehicle technology, it is still betting that demand for hybrids and plugin hybrids will remain robust as the automaker takes a multipathway approach seeking to satisfy customer needs in every market.

The hybrid powertrain and a new electronic allwheel drive system deliver 232 combined horsepower nearly 15 more than the outgoing Camry with a mechanical allwheel drive system, Toyota said.

Toyota executives unveiled the ninth generation of the midsized Camry sedan on Tuesday in Los Angeles, ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show that opens on Friday.

The new Camry…