The 67-year-old Crown nameplate is going global with Toyota announcing that the new luxury Crown series, which includes 4 body styles, will be offered in up to 40 countries and regions. Historically, the Toyota Crown has typically only been available in its home market of Japan and some Asian countries. Toyota has developed a “Crown for a new era” and as such buyers will have the choice of a new “Crossover Type” which combines the styling of a sedan and SUV as well as a “Sedan Type” for chauffeuring, “Sports Type” (for sporty performance) and an “Estate Type” (larger SUV).

The Crown cabin design incorporates a wrap-around design with modern and luxurious material trim while passengers will be cosseted in comfort. The new Toyota Crown series, built on Toyota’s TNGA platform, is expected to offer high levels of refinement and notable ride comfort. The new Crown will be powered by 2 hybrid powertrains. The first is a turbocharged hybrid system that incorporates a 2.4-litre turbopetrol engine that combines with an e-Axle electric powertrain with a newly-developed bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery.

The second is a 2.5-litre Series Parallel Hybrid System as Toyota calls it and it too will feature a bi-polar nickel hydrogen battery. This powertrain is said to achieve class-leading fuel economy while also offering high levels of refinement. This powertrain will feature in the Crown Crossover, which is earmarked for South Africa. Toyota has yet to reveal outputs but more details can be expected to be divulged in coming weeks and months.

As you can expect, the new Toyota Crown series will be equipped with the latest Toyota Safety Sense driver assistance systems. As for availability in South Africa, Toyota South Africa has confirmed that the Crown Crossover will be offered locally as of Q1 2023 as part of Toyota South Africa Motors’ (TSAM) continued New Energy Vehicle (NEV) product rollout. We will keep you updated as soon as more details become available.