The Toyota Crown has finally surfaced in South Africa, but motorists are going to find it difficult to get their hands on one.
The automaker recently told IOL that the high-end crossover, which was always planned to be released in limited quantities, has already run out of its 2023 allocation, meaning aspiring owners will have to wait until next year.
The curious case of the Crown
The new Toyota has been something of an enigma for the better part of a year, as it was originally slated for a release in the first quarter of 2023, having made an appearance at the company’s State of the Motoring Address (SOMI) in January.
The first four months of the year came and went with no official launch event, but then Naamsa published its monthly vehicle sales report for April, where the Toyota Crown was inconspicuously listed with two sales.
This trend has continued throughout 2023, with one or two Crowns appearing in each month’s sales report, which you can see below:
- April – 2 units
- May – 1 unit
- June – 1 unit
- July – 2 units
- August – 2 units
- September – 1 unit
In total, 9 Crown sales have been recorded this year, yet it has still not officially gone on sale and is not listed on Toyota South Africa Motor’s website.
Regardless, Duoporta vehicle information specialists recently confirmed the crossover’s pricing at R918,900 for its single specification. However, it is unknown whether this is the pricing for the 2024 model, or what owners paid for the 2023 model, with Toyota being unreachable for further queries on the Crown’s availability.
What to expect
The Crown is a nameplate that has been around for decades, yet this is the first time it has ever made an appearance in South Africa.
It is the latest Toyota to feature a hybrid power system, which in this case is a 2.5-litre, turbo-petrol plant with 176kW.
Thanks to a sizeable bi-polar nickel-hydrogen battery, it can run on an all-electric mode for short distances, and it uses a CVT transmission to turn all four wheels; the result being a fuel consumption of 4.4l/100km.
Since it has not officially gone on sale, the Crown’s full equipment list is still unknown, however early showings of the car indicate it has fittings like 19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated leather seats, dual-zone climate control, a digital instrument cluster, an infotainment screen with smartphone pairing, keyless entry and start, an electric tailgate, a sunroof, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera.
It also comes with a 3-year/100,000km vehicle warranty, an 8-year/195,000km battery warranty, and a 6-services/90,000km service plan.
Keyword: The new Toyota Crown is here, but South Africans will have to wait