The Toyota Crown nameplate and product is back, this time, in four different body types

Toyota has been in the automotive game for a very long time and their cars are some of the most common and recognizable models one can see on the road. However there is one particular Toyota model that is sadly absent on Malaysian Roads, the Toyota Crown.

Being one of the more unique Toyota cars, the Crown was first launched in 1955, making it one of Toyota’s oldest models to date. The Crown was also Toyota’s first mass produced passenger vehicle and is Toyota’s flagship executive sedan although, here in Malaysia many consider the Camry as their flagship sedan as it is far more common than a Crown or Mark X.

This flagship status has kept the Crown competitive in many markets including Japan and the United States, where the Crown goes by a different name, the Toyota Avalon. In these markets, the Crown has elevated it’s flagship status for over 67 years, that is a seriously impressive feat to achieve so kudos to Toyota for managing it.

However, with the recent market shift to electric vehicles among many other external factors, Toyota has felt that the Crown no longer meets the diverse needs of customers like it did back in it’s heyday and thus, it’s flagship status is becoming obsolete.

Thus, Toyota has decided that for the new 2023 generation Crown, there will be four different body styles for the Crown, a crossover, a sport, a sedan and an estate all with hybrid powertrains.

These hybrid powertrains will be a 2.5-litre petrol engine hybrid system and a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine hybrid system. These two engine options will serve as the chief powertrains for these cars and the possibility of an all electric version might be in the future.

It is still unclear how all these four different Crowns will be making their debut but Toyota has confirmed that the crossover version of the Crown will be the first version to hit the market by the fourth quarter of 2022 and this Crossover Crown will be available in 40 markets, but will Malaysia be one of them? Only time will tell.

On a side-note, wouldn’t it be hilarious if Toyota brings this crossover in and calls it the “Crown Cross,” marketing it as the ‘bigger brother’ of the Corolla Cross, although if it were to come to Malaysia, it would make more sense as a larger premium SUV more akin to a Lexus RX.

Do you think the Crown nameplate will shake up the Malaysian market if it were introduced by UMW Toyota? Or better if it was badged a Lexus?