Patent images of the 2023 Toyota Crown have appeared online revealing that the new crossover potentially destined for North American shores this fall looks more like a high-riding sedan than an SUV.
The images, which come from patents Toyota applied for in Japan, show a style of sedan that looks relatively strange right now, but is set to become increasingly commonplace in the next few years. Both the Citroen C5X available in Europe, and the Chinese-market Ford Evos, already employ the same combination of relatively conventional four-door fastback sedan bodywork and SUV-like ride height.
While Toyota itself is staying tight-lipped about the images, Japanese media appear to confirm that they’re genuine. The new car, which might get the Crown Cross name to bring it into line with several other Toyota crossover models, is built around the company’s TNGA-K platform that can be configured with either front- or all-wheel drive.
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Japan’s Best Car says the Crown measures 172.8 in (4,930 mm) long and 60.6 in (1,540 mm) high, making it around the same length as a Mercedes GLE coupe, but putting its roofline around 7.5 in (190 mm) further from the clouds. The title also claims the Crown’s powertrain options include a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine mated to a CVT ‘box, and a 2.4-liter turbo four mated to a six-speed auto. Which sounds like a choice between burger with fries and fries with a slightly smaller burger, so maybe something got lost in translation.
A report by Reuters in April claimed that a Crown SUV would be available in China and North America in summer 2023 in hybrid guise, with an EV derivative set to follow in 2024. But leaked U.S. dealer paperwork seen by Carscoops suggested Toyota would begin selling the Crown in North America in October 2022.
The Crown name is one of Toyota’s longest running, but sales of the traditional sedan model have been slipping in its home market, and the badge hasn’t been seen in North America for decades. More recently, Toyota has used the Crown branding on an entire series of cars in China, including a rebadged Highlander SUV.
