Toyota Crown crossover heading to South Africa

TOYOTA'S luxury marque, the Crown is coming to South Africa in 2023.

The Japanese automotive giant confirmed this new development, saying the Crown nameplate is going global - heading to 40 countries and regions including SA.

Historically, the Toyota Crown has been available only in its home market of Japan and select Asian countries, but Toyota has now developed a "Crown for a new era".

As such, buyers in the selected markets will have the choice of a new "Crossover Type" which combines the styling of a sedan and SUV.

There's also a "Sedan Type" for chauffeuring, "Sports Type" for sporty performance, and an "Estate Type" which is a larger SUV.

The new Toyota Crown series, built on Toyota’s TNGA platform, is expected to offer high levels of refinement and notable ride comfort.

It will be powered by two hybrid powertrains: The first is a turbo-charged system that combines a 2.4 litre turbo-petrol engine with an e-Axle electric powertrain and backed by a newly-developed bi-polar nickel-hydrogen battery.

The second is a 2.5 litre Series Parallel Hybrid System - as Toyota calls it - and featuring a bi-polar nickel hydrogen battery.

This powertrain is said to achieve class-leading fuel economy while also offering high levels of refinement.

It will feature in the Crown Crossover earmarked for the South African market.

Toyota has yet to reveal outputs, but more details can be expected in the coming weeks and months.

Toyota SA Motors confirmed that the Crown Crossover will be offered locally as of Q1 2023 as part of its continued New Energy Vehicle (NEV) product rollout.