The Toyota Crown is the Japanese carmaker’s most revered nameplate, with a history spanning 67 years, it’s birth starting in 1955 and having the distinction of being the longest running mainstream sedan model in the Japanese brands history. It is ubiquitous all over developed parts of Asia, a sign of opulence and genteel, restrained wealth, and a moving icon in countries like Hong Kong and its Japanese home market where it’s famously used as a taxi or a limousine service. It is also the choice for top Japanese executives working under the Chairman (who parades in an imperial 12-cylinder Toyota Century, of course!)
For its latest 16th generation, which Toyota is unveiling globally on Friday, July 15 2022, things have taken an interesting turn.
Patents from Japan reveal that Toyota applied for three body styles to use the Crown nameplate: a coupe, a sedan and a tall-riding sedan cum cross-over. The other big news is that many other foreign media, particularly American in origin, expect the Crown to be made available in the United States. It will replace the recently departed Avalon, a US-market specific large sedan as Toyota’s flagship model. Insiders say that the Camry crossover (if it will in fact be one) was designed primarily for China. But since China is LHD, and so is the US, and the fact that Uncle Sam has an equally huge appetite for cross-overs and SUV’s like China, it seems like a match made in Heaven. With sales of traditional sedans constantly declining in favour of minivans and MPV’s worldwide, plus SUV’s as well, it makes for a strong business case indeed. But a traditional Crown sedan is expected to follow, catering primarily to the traditional Japanese market.
The front fascia has design cues similar to the brand’s BZ4X cross-over EV, and the new platform could potentially be offered in both front wheel and all-wheel drive layouts with a transverse engine layout. Anything from a turbocharged four to six cylinders is equally feasible in this platform. Hybrids are also expected, and potentially a full EV given Toyota’s massive move towards electrification. A possible layout is an electric motor driving the rear-wheels on demand, with another motor assisting the front wheels in a system Toyota calls E-Four.
Regardless of shape, the latest Toyota Crown will surely be the peak of Toyota’s engineering prowess, a tradition it has carried for seven decades and counting!
