After deciding in 2021 to drop both its largest sedan and top-end SUV from U.S. showrooms, Toyota will replace them starting this year with vehicles carrying a venerated Japanese nameplate — though one largely unfamiliar to American consumers.
Toyota Motor Corp. will launch an SUV version of the Crown sedan and sell it in North America beginning in 2023 as a replacement for the Land Cruiser, Reuters reported last week, citing sources at the company. The SUV would come initially as a hybrid, the sources said, and would be exported from Japan to North America and China. A battery-electric version would follow in 2024, while a plug-in hybrid version would be built for Japan’s domestic market.
At least one variant of the redesigned Crown sedan — expected to be a performance hybrid — will go on sale this year in the U.S., where it will compete with the Audi A6 and similar sedans, replacing the Avalon, a source told Automotive News.