The Toyota Crown has always been an iconic nameplate in Japan, with the Crown being exclusively associated (until recently) with an ultra-luxury flagship sedan. However, Toyota understands that consumers (Americans in particular) want more SUVs and CUVs, and it appears that the company is preparing a follow-up to the Crown liftback sedan with a teaser image that could suggest one of the Crown CUV models is making the trip stateside.
Meeting Demand One Utility At a Time
The lone teaser image Toyota released earlier today doesn’t reveal too much, but it does show off one of the taillights, the liftgate, and even the badge, which starts with the letter “C.” While the bulk of the image is roughly standard fare regarding the core details, the one item that immediately caught our attention was the powertrain emblem, which appears to confirm that the mystery model is a hybrid entry. Based on what we know, the Crown Estate is most likely what we see here, with the image lining up with past pictures of the model. However, when the model makes its way to the U.S., don’t expect the Estate name to make the trip with it due to low familiarity of the term with younger buyers.
The Crown Estate will be powered in the U.S. by a 236 horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder that’s paired with the company’s latest iteration of its hybrid components. Buyers looking to inject more performance into their commute can go for the 2.4-liter “Hybrid Max” engine that gets two electric motors and produces 340-hp. The interior will be shared with the Crown we already have, with the large dashboard featuring a large infotainment screen and a neat row of physical controls placed below it.
When Will We See It?
Toyota didn’t issue any comment on the exact reveal date but did reveal that it will “C u soon.” Clever wordplay aside, we think that this second piece of the Crown puzzle will appear in November at the L.A. Auto Show. We look forward to seeing more photos, especially of the styling on U.S. spec models, to find out what changes the company had to make to help it comply with federal regulations.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.