The History of the Toyota Crown

The Toyota Crown may be one of the mode famous non-famous cars you’ll find today.

After all; the is a luxurious mid-to-full-size sedan (actually, there have been coupe and wagon forms, too, but the sedan is its most recognizable one) that has been shuttling the elite and powerful in Japan for decades, while also being a favourite pick for taxi drivers. It’s always had acres of interior room, authoritative styling that no one is ever going to cross – that’s important when you’re a delegate – and often comes powered by deep-chested inline-6 and V8 engines. Oh, and don’t forget the flags on the front fenders, of course!

It's also one of Toyota’s longest-running models and was one of the first Toyotas to use independent suspension and one of the first Japanese cars to use a torque converter automatic and even ABS.

Today, the Crown continues to serve as a livery and limousine platform in Japan, but has since made its way to our part of the world – but only as a collector’s curio. There’s just something about long, dark sedans from Japan linked with both public users such as government agencies and not-so-common users like the kind of people said government agencies were tasked with thwarting. Oh, and taxicabs. Still taxicabs.  

Except that’s now changed as well because for the first time since the ‘70s, the Crown will be available in North American dealerships.

Times have changed, however, and so has the Crown. It now bears more resemblance to the growing two-door-coupe-crossover segment popularized by the likes of the BMW X4 and Audi Q5 Sportback and will be available with a new Hybrid MAX powertrain that will deliver up to 340 horsepower while averaging an estimated 38 mpg. It’s gong to have tech and presence that’s for sure…heck, that’s why it’s called a Crown!