If you're not familiar with the Toyota Crown, it was the first Toyota vehicle to come to the US. Toyota has been producing the Crown sedan in Japan since 1955, and it appeared on our shores in 1958. It still remains available in Japan to this day.
Reports recently surfaced that Toyota is working on a new version of the Crown, though it won't be a sedan. Instead, it will be an SUV that's available as a traditional hybrid (no plug), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and a fully electric model. The new Crown is expected to be sold in Japan, but some reports noted that certain versions may eventually become available in North America and China.
Since the Crown is so popular in Japan, Toyota aims to use it as a stepping stone to promote its upcoming EV efforts. Based on a recent article published by Electrek, it appears it has been confirmed that the Crown SUV will likely come to the US as an electric SUV.
Electrek cites a Reuters article that claims multiple anonymous sources confirmed that Toyota is working on the electrified Crown SUV with plans for it to hit multiple global markets. The sources familiar with the matter also said the automaker is focusing on making the Crown an SUV rather than a sedan since shoppers are more interested in crossovers and SUVs, and that's especially true of consumers in the US.
The report goes on to say that the Crown hybrid will come to North America in 2023. The PHEV will remain specific to Japan. The fully electric version is expected to arrive in 2024, though few details were provided about which markets it will enter first.
Toyota has officially announced plans to invest some $70 billion to electrify its lineup by 2030. While the brand is widely seen as the leader when it comes to hybrids, it is lagging behind many other automakers when it comes to fully electric vehicles.
