UPDATE 4/14/22: A report from Reuters, citing three unnamed sources, has confirmed that Toyota intends to launch a SUV version of the Crown in Japan, China, and the North America. It’s expected to be a hybrid crossover, per the report, and it won’t completely replace the long-running Crown sedan, which will continue to be sold (but not likely in the U.S. ).
What could it be? The Toyota Crown Kluger is an upmarket SUV based on the Toyota Highlander, sold in China by the FAW-Toyota joint venture. Adapting the existing U.S.-market Highlander and transforming it into a Crown-badged model seems like the easiest explanation for what’s going on, but how would Toyota position it against the existing Highlander and the Lexus line? FAW also makes a uniquely styled version of the Toyota Harrier/Venza, and it’s certainly possible that the hybrid Venza could get the nod for a Crown transformation.
The new report lends some credence to the idea that a Crown SUV is coming, but doesn’t give us a lot of clarity about what to expect, and how Toyota might market such a vehicle. Call us skeptical but intrigued. The original article continues below.
Toyota hasn’t sold a car wearing a Crown badge in the U.S. for decades, and certainly never the current-generation luxurious Crown sedan. Could that be changing? A trademark application was recently filed on Toyota’s behalf with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the Crown name for “automobiles and structural parts thereof.”
While historically the Crown name was applied to a sedan (and its coupe or wagon variants, if applicable), recently the name has been migrating to other vehicles coming out of the FAW Toyota joint venture in China as a sub-brand, like the Chinese-market version of the Highlander—the FAW Toyota Crown Kluger—and a version of the Alphard van called the Crown Vellfire.
Toyota’s trademark filing in the U.S. for the Crown name doesn’t give us anything to go on. It’s too bad the automaker didn’t simply lay out its future plans in a quiet trademark application. So the possibilities are thus: Either Toyota just wanted to hang on to the name here (or protect it from others), or it’s planning on introducing a Crown-badged vehicle in the future. A U.S.-market Crown could take many forms, though we imagine either an SUV (like the Highlander-based Crown Kluger) or as a new fancy trim level that could be applied to multiple models, from the Camry and Avalon up to the Highlander and maybe even the Sienna minivan.
We’ve reached out to Toyota for comment on the Crown trademark filing, and will update this space if and when we hear back.
Keyword: New Report Suggests Toyota Crown SUV Headed to America