Toyota’s oldest nameplate, ‘Crown’, in the passenger car category and its first model shipped to the US is going to enter its 16th generation. It first went on sale about 70 years ago in sedan body style. However, the company has decided to give it a new shape, which is an unusual sedan-SUV mashup. It looks like a high-riding fastback and Toyota has created a separate site for the new Crown, where the company asks viewers; is it a sedan or an SUV?
While it is not clear yet but the all-new Toyota Crown will hit the US roads sometime next year. The car’s world premiere will happen on July 15. It is worth mentioning the Japanese automaker is using the Crown name in China for top-spec versions of its existing lineup. It has already been used for the Highlander SUV and Vellfire minivan.
The Crown stays at the top of Toyota’s lineup as its flagship vehicle in Japan if we ignore the Century – a low-volume car that is made only for very important personalities in China.
Toyota has shown us patent pictures of the new Crown, which seems totally different from the outgoing model. The sedans are losing traction in Japan and Toyota knows it very well. It is why they have completely redesigned the Crown sedan and transformed it into a fastback.
Considering the dimensions revealed through patent pictures, we can tell the next-generation Crown will have an elongated footprint with 4,930 millimeters (194 inches) in length, 1,840 mm (72.4 in) in width, and 1,540 mm (60.6 in) in height.
The Crown will stand on a 2,850 mm (112.2 in) wheelbase and Toyota’s TNGA-K platform. It will be accessible in both two-wheel and all-wheel-drive layouts powered by petrol, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
The new Crown for the US market will likely be the priciest model from the automaker with an approximate price tag of within the $50,000 range excluding options. Rumors suggest that Toyota will also create an EV version of the Crown. However, whether it will come to the US, only time will tell.
A few months back, Reuters told that Toyota will keep the old Crown for Japan and develop a new model, which will be sold in worldwide markets, including Japan. The production of these two vehicles will take place in Japan.
Source and Images: Motor1