Toyota Plans for a Plug-In Hybrid Crown: Report

The forthcoming Toyota Crown household is an odd proposition, and I’m nonetheless unsure the place it matches in a world the place Lexus additionally exists, however Toyota goes to present it a shot within the States anyway. Main the cost would be the Crown “Crossover Sort” — form of a substitute for the Avalon, however lifted larger, as a result of that makes any automotive significantly extra marketable these days. Right here it’ll be identified solely because the Crown, full cease. Toyota teased it with hybrid powertrains and customary all-wheel drive, but it surely appears a plug-in hybrid variant could also be on the best way, too.

This information comes courtesy of the great people at Motor Development, who overheard as a lot throughout a gathering between the corporate and its vendor community final week. CEO Akio Toyoda revealed the information himself, albeit with none specs or info on the PHEV Crown, particularly.

As it’s, the Crown’s two hybrid powertrains will supply 236 and 340 horsepower, uniting a trio of electrical motors — two on the entrance axle and one out again — with a selection of two inline-four mills. Toyota’s dubbed the extra highly effective choice the Hybrid MAX (all caps, in fact) and that one’s turbocharged. It’s estimated to common 28 miles per gallon, whereas the much less potent one will supposedly do 10 mpg higher, by Toyota’s estimation.

Presumably the PHEV model of the Crown shall be designated the “Prime,” and it looks as if a sensible transfer. Not each automotive must be battery-electric in fact, however the Crown is Toyota’s flagship for the foreseeable future, the zenith of its technological and design capabilities. You’d suppose it will need to push the electrification angle just a little more durable with such a product, however then, Toyota continues to be iffy on the entire EV factor anyway.

I’m going to stay my head out right here like my buddy José and say I, too, dig the Crown. The 2-tone paint job is a bit a lot, and naturally I’d somewhat it simply be a sedan, however Toyota’s nonetheless providing a lovely sufficient household automotive that’s actually extra fascinating to have a look at than the Avalon ever was. It really form of jogs my memory of the previous Volvo S60 Cross Nation, or the Subaru Outback SUS. Lifted sedans work typically, and you may make a case for this one. The Crown is reportedly nonetheless due for launch earlier than the tip of this yr.