The Toyota Crown has spent nearly seven decades delighting customers in its home market, where it’s everything from a large sedan to a taxi to a race car. For its sixteenth generation, though, the Crown becomes a crossover and it’s arriving in North America early next year.
Badged as a North American-only 2023 Crown, this new high-riding four-door coupe is actually just one of four body styles coming to the Japanese market. And during a first drive event in Franklin, Tennessee, we asked Toyota about the possibility of one of those other body styles — sedan, wagon, and a more traditional two-box crossover called the Crown Sport — coming to North America. While brand representatives were generally noncommittal when it came to discussing future products, they did say what it would take to see more cars bearing the Crown badge on our shores.
Toyota Crown Sport, coming in June 2022.
“I think we’re seeing it,” Toyota marketing general manager Joe Moses told Motor1.com. “Ultimately the customer is going to make the decision for us.”
That doesn’t mean Toyota’s North American arm has a set plan. Or perhaps more accurately, there were no plans to share it with the media if it did.
“Have we already planned this? No, we already feel like we’re going into uncharted territory as it is, this is our best chance to understand what we have here. And then that learning can guide us with future products,” Moses said. “We never thought we’d have a crown jewel after America left and look at us now. So I think that’s one of those things that we’ll continue to see how they develop. If there is a spot in the lineup. [a Crown variant]then we will absolutely consider it.”
As for additions to the current Crown lineup, which consists of two parallel hybrid powertrains and three trims in the same body style, Musa was similarly tight-lipped. It’s worth noting, though, that the conversation took place before news broke that Toyota was undertaking a broad review of its electrification strategy, including the alleged cancellation of an all-electric Crown, among other products. .
“We’re looking at all powertrain options. I think we’re going to get a feel for it and how it goes and go from there,” Moses said.
For more on the 2023 Toyota Crown, check out our first first drive and price and fuel economy breakdown of the new high-rider.
