The sixteenth-generation Toyota Crown is not just a single model but a lineup of four cars. For the time being, the United States is only getting what the automaker refers to as the Crossover, which is basically a lifted sedan à la Volvo S60 Cross Country. Over in Japan, there’s also a true sedan as a direct replacement for the previous-gen car. These two are joined by a wagon (Crown Estate) and a significantly smaller crossover (Crown Sport).
At last weekend’s Fuji 24 Hours endurance race, Toyota brought the Crown Sedan as a near-production prototype with a fuel cell powertrain. It’s scheduled to go on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun this fall together with a hybrid version. This is an imposingly large car, stretching at 5030 millimeters (198 inches) long, 1890 mm (74.4 in) wide, and 1470 mm (57.9 in) tall, while having a massive wheelbase of 3000 mm (118.1 in).
A couple of walkaround videos shot at the Fuji Speedway show the stately sedan inside and out. We’d argue it would take minimal changes to make the Crown Sedan worthy of a Lexus badge. While it’s undoubtedly sleek and spacious, big sedans have largely fallen out of favor. Like the Mirai, this FCEV variant would be even more of a niche model. The regular HEV would have bigger chances of luring in customers in North America, but let’s face it, the vast majority will still go with one of the many SUVs sold by Toyota and Lexus.
As a refresher, Toyota is planning a global rollout of its Crown models as it intends to sell the cars in approximately 40 countries and regions. It’s too soon to say which markets will get the models, but we do know all four will be sold in Japan. Bear in mind only this Crown Sedan will be available with a hydrogen setup. Technical specifications about the powertrain have not been disclosed but an educated guess tells us it’s related to some extent to the Mirai’s fuel cell.
