We rarely had the opportunity to talk about the Crown because the long-running nameplate has mostly been a Japan-only affair until the arrival of the sixteenth generation in 2022. No longer a sole model but a family of several vehicles, the most prestigious Toyota after the Century is currently sold as a high-riding sedan and a crossover, with a larger SUV and a regular sedan to go on sale in Japan in the coming months.
Hot on the heels of the confusingly named Crown Sport (the crossover) launched last week in the Land of the Rising Sun, Toyota is also preparing the first special edition for the jacked-up saloon. While this car is available in the United States, the new limited-run variant will be a JDM-only affair. It's based on the locally available RS Advanced, the flagship trim level, and comes with an exclusive matte paint job as well as "other special features" that aren't specified.
It's scheduled to go on sale in Japan this December, and while the price isn't mentioned, it is certainly going to cost more than the 6,400,000 yen (nearly $43,000) Toyota is charging for the RS Advanced trim. Customers will be able to buy from newly established dedicated Crown showrooms located in Tsuzuki, Yokohama (Weins Toyota Kanagawa) and Tenjin, Fukuoka (Fukuoka Toyota). Three more are planned to open their doors in the near future: Aichi (Aichi Toyota), Chiba (Chiba Toyota), and Tokyo (Toyota Mobility Tokyo).
It looks as though Crown is evolving into a sub-brand to separate the four-model lineup from the regular crop of Toyotas. These four vehicles are not the only ones to be sold at select dealers since the even fancier Century sedan and the newly launched SUV can be ordered only from so-called Century Meisters found at certain showrooms.
The Crown dealerships will feature all four initial models, and prospective customers will be able to take them for a test drive. Toyota is creating posh lounge areas and organizing networking events for owners while the design of the building "expresses the worldview of the Crown brand." Following the launch of this first special edition, other Crown models will also spawn limited-run variants with extra trinkets.
