The Return of the King, Toyota’s 16th Generation New Crown Four-Car Launch

　　The Crown, which can be said to be one of Toyota’s oldest classic models, can also be said to have witnessed the growth of Toyota and become one of the most popular Japanese cars in the world. Now the Crown has evolved to the 16th generation and started to create a new story.

　　Based on the concept of "innovation and challenge", on July 15, Toyota released the new crown, and the four models of the all-electric series present the crown characteristics of the new era of automotive revolution, which will provide global consumers with a new experience.

　　Bright history

　　Tracing the history of the Crown is like flipping through the history of the development of Japanese cars, which was the founding era of Toyota. Ninety years ago, the founder Kiichiro Toyoda decided to accept the challenge and enter the automobile industry. He embarked on an ambitious dream of building a car. His dream of a domestic passenger car was finally mass-produced in January 1952, 15 years after the company was established. He named the car "Crown".

　　In 1957, the Crown entered the Australian Rally, becoming the first Japanese car to compete in an international rally. Soon after, Toyota took the bold step of exporting it to the United States for the first time, marking the beginning of Japanese passenger car exports.

　　The third-generation Crown was launched in 1967, when personal car purchases in Japan began to take off. Toyota introduced the widely known White Crown, which became an important driving force for the development of Japanese automobiles.

　　Over the next two decades, the Crown grew into something that consumers sought after. Introduced in 1971, the fourth-generation model boldly adopted new styling and created a new image in the face of increased competition from foreign models. However, some quality issues caused sales of the Crown to struggle, and Toyota has learned from this and has always kept it in mind: that the Crown must first meet the core needs of customers.

　　Since then, Toyota’s chief engineers have carefully balanced innovation and customer expectations in their pursuit of the crown, a philosophy that has been successful with the seventh and eighth generations of the crown, which became a status symbol with the slogan "Someday, a crown," followed by the eighth generation, which recorded the highest sales in history. At this time, the crown has undoubtedly become the representative flagship of Japanese cars. But it also reached its peak at that time.

　　Since the ninth generation, Toyota has entered a difficult transition.

　　The first was a change in the positioning of the Crown within Toyota. In 1989, the Lexus LS model was sold in North America in September. In Japan, because Toyota did not have a Lexus sales network, the LS was sold under the name Toyota Celsior. This change was a major turning point in the history of the Crown.

　　In 1991, after the bubble economy burst, Japan’s economy fell into recession, which reduced demand for luxury cars. At the same time, competition from imported cars intensified. The ninth and tenth generation of the Crown had to face these severe headwinds and enter a transition period.

　　In the early 2000s, Toyota accelerated its foray into overseas markets, pursuing a larger sales and production scale. This gradually led to a preference for more profitable models and markets.

　　Fears grew that the model might be discontinued as sales of the crown dwindled, but that sense of crisis also fueled the development of the 12th-generation crown, which was launched in 2003. Revitalizing the crown required a fresh start, redeveloping the platform and engine to deliver world-class advanced drivability.

　　In 2008, the global automotive industry was affected by the financial crisis, the three major automobile giants in the United States almost went bankrupt, and Toyota was also hit hard. Although it won the title of the world’s largest automobile manufacturer that year, its loss reached 461 billion yen. Despite the difficulties, Toyota still persisted in the challenge of Crown transformation.

　　From the 14th generation "Crown of Rebirth" to the 15th generation "Crown of Connection", the shape of the crown has changed, the platform has been updated, and the driving performance has been honed at the Nürburgring.

　　New Crown Story

　　As the first high-end model developed by Toyota alone and overcome many difficulties, the Crown, born in 1955, is full of "innovation and challenge" DNA and has been passed down by successive models.

　　Times change faster than product updates. After 67 years, Crown, as a flagship model, must pursue new value ahead of the times and meet the diverse needs of consumers. The 16th generation of Crown will create a new era.

　　This time, when the Toyota development team developed the new crown, they fully thought about "what is a crown?" and pursued the "style of the new crown", resulting in four new crown products: a sedan, a crossover, and two SUVs with different appearances.

　　Developing four products simultaneously is no easy task, made possible by Toyota’s internal development process and new platform architecture, TNGA, which also proves that Crown has long been the flagship of the Toyota brand.

　　Not only is there a new style of "CROSSOVER" that combines SEDAN and SUV, but also a medium-sized SUV "SPORTS" that combines high practicality and sportiness under a smooth appearance; not only is there a large SUV "ESTATE" that combines the unique atmosphere and appeal of the crown, but also "SEDAN" that condenses the traditional and stable style. It will be introduced globally in the future.

　　The crossover version of CROSSOVER is the first protagonist. It transforms from a traditional sedan to a crossover form that mixes sedans and SUVs. For Crown, it means opening an innovative chapter and expressing a new value that is not constrained by traditional concepts.

　　The combination of sleek, coupe-like silhouettes and high-end styling that conveys a sense of power reveals a new look for the flagship model of the new era. Large-scale tires that break the concept of traditional sedans, as well as innovations in the body structure, create a spatial balance between the body and the tires, creating a strong style that is neither a sedan nor an SUV, and has the stability of a premium sedan.

　　The interior design has also been greatly improved, with the LCD dashboard and 12.3 central control screen forming a connected screen layout, horizontally integrating functional layouts that can be operated intuitively from any seat. The wraparound shape from the dashboard to the door also gives a very special feeling, allowing the driver to focus on driving and the passengers to be comfortable and happy. Every accessory is meticulous, and the understated and warm decoration of WARM STEEL, the attractive and comfortable shift lever, the seat that provides security, etc., all help to create a sense of quality and richness in the space. A total of 12 body colors and four interior color combinations provide a personalized choice.

　　The new generation of Crown will be available in two hybrid forms: 2.5L + electric motor and 2.4T + electric motor. For the first time, the hybrid system combines an in-line 4-cylinder turbine engine that can generate powerful torque even at low revolutions. It provides the latest eAxle electric powertrain with high torque and Toyota’s newly developed bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery, which responds linearly to throttle operation and creates a comfortable acceleration feeling. The CROSSOVER Crown can achieve its class-leading fuel economy and tranquility, demonstrating distinctive high quality and smooth driving performance.

　　In China, the historical origin of the crown began in 1964 with the import of the second-generation crown. In 2005, FAW Toyota began to produce the 12th-generation crown and started selling it under the name "Crown". After that, the luxury MPV Crown Weifa and the medium and large luxury SUV Crown Land were launched successively, meeting the diverse needs of consumers.

　　As the flagship model of the Toyota brand, the Crown series models are deeply loved by many consumers in China. As of now, the cumulative sales in China are about 640,000 units. The first model released this year is expected to start selling in China, and other models are also planned to be gradually introduced into China.

　　Toyota’s crown represents the success and pride of Japanese cars. The four new crown products carry new missions, challenges and progress, and will create a new story for the crown. (Text: Yang Xiaohong, Photo: Toyota)