We’ve not received the Toyota Crown in at least several decades, but now that the 16th-generation model is a global model, we might just be on the cusp of getting one again. Yours truly spotted one on the Federal Highway this afternoon undisguised and wearing Selangor trade plates, on its way to Glenmarie.
The latest Crown is a pretty odd vehicle – the iconic Japanese sedan has morphed into a sort of crossover, still with a discrete boot, bringing to mind cars like the short-lived Volvo S60 Cross Country. Adding to the weirdness are the abnormally wide lower grille, separated boot/rear end design and, on the car you see here, a flamboyant two-tone colour scheme.
All variants are powered by a hybrid powertrain, as denoted by the Hybrid Synergy Drive badge on the boot lid. This pairs a 186 PS/221 Nm 2.5 litre A25A-FXS naturally-aspirated engine with an electric motor to produce a total system output of 234 PS. There’s also a more powerful Dual Boost version available that swaps the NA engine for a 272 PS/460 Nm 2.4 litre T24A-FTS turbo mill, bumping total power to 349 PS.
Could UMW Toyota Motor be testing this bizarre sedan/SUV crossover for an eventual local launch? Well, the company has said that it wants to add more hybrid models to its lineup, but we’re not sure this was what it meant. It has already shown us a thinly-veiled hint of what it plans to bring in at the recent Beyond Zero event, and that is the Camry and Alphard/Vellfire Hybrid.
Those two vehicles stand a better chance at appealing to the typical Malaysian buyer than the Crown, which is a niche curiosity at best and an almost certain sales flop at worst.
After all, the Crown isn’t selling well in the US, another sedan-biased market slowly moving towards SUVs, so it doesn’t bode well for a potential Malaysian launch. On the other hand, Japanese-market Toyotas have sold reasonably well here before. Just ask the Harrier – and now that that car is set to be discontinued, perhaps the Crown could swoop in to take its place.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. If you look closely at the front end, you’ll be able to spot the Crown badge instead of the regular Toyota oval found on international models. This points to the car being a Japanese-spec unit – a Crossover G “Leather Package”, in case you were curious.
As such, this unit is likely a grey import or, at most, an evaluation unit and no more. In fact, a quick perusal on a few classifieds websites revealed quite a few reconditioned Crowns on sale, priced between RM320,000 to RM470,000.
So, the Crown is probably not for us, then. But hey, doesn’t hurt to dream, right?
GALLERY: Toyota Crown Crossover
The post 2024 Toyota Crown Hybrid spotted in Malaysia – are we really getting this weird sedan/SUV crossover? appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
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