It's an SUV, and it looks like it will be fancy.
Tomohiro OhsumiGetty ImagesYou may not be familiar with it, but the Crown is a venerable nameplate for Toyota. It was the brand’s first modern passenger car that debuted in the 1950s, and the sedan has been a fixture of Toyota’s domestic lineup since.
But the name’s days of being attached to a four-door car are numbered. Toyota is in the process of building a Crown SUV. And according to multiple reports, it’s coming to America. Here’s what you need to know about it.
The Toyota Crown SUV will be a crossover
Tomohiro OhsumiGetty ImagesBest Car in Japan says the Crown SUV will be a crossover, referring to it as the “Crown Cross.” It’s expected to use the TNGA-K platform that underpins vehicles like the Highlander and the Camry.
The Toyota Crown SUV will be a hybrid
Tomohiro OhsumiGetty ImagesPer Reuters, the Crown will be electrified. The SUV will launch as a conventional hybrid. Toyota will offer a plug-in hybrid version for the Japanese market. An electric version of the Crown will follow in 2024.
The Crown SUV should be fancier than a typical Toyota
Tomohiro OhsumiGetty ImagesToyota has not confirmed the Crown SUV’s existence, much less the pricing. But reports expect it to be positioned above other Toyota crossovers like the Venza and the RAV4. Car and Driver believes it could be more expensive than the Sequoia, starting above $50,000.
The Toyota Crown SUV could arrive very soon — or not
Tomohiro OhsumiGetty ImagesReports conflict about timing for the Crown. The Japanese outlet Best Car has the Crown SUV debuting in June 2022. That timeline could line up with a leaked Toyota sales document found by The Drive that showed the Crown SUV going on sale in October 2022. However, the Reuters report says Crown SUV sales won’t begin until summer 2023. And according to the report, Toyota has not decided whether to bring the EV to North America.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Crown has come to the U.S.
BettmannGetty ImagesThe Crown sedan was Toyota’s first vehicle exported to the U.S. in 1957. Designed for Japanese dirt roads rather than American highways, it wasn’t well-suited to the American market. Toyota eventually recalibrated and focused its American sales strategy on the Land Cruiser.
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