Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Toyota President Akio Toyoda took to the stage on Friday to present his company’s new range of Crown vehicles. 

The Toyota Crown has been drastically changed from previous models, which were largely available in Japan only. The new range of models will now be sold to around 40 countries and regions, Toyoda said.

While the new range fails to inspire from a technological standpoint, the designs are quite radical compared to the staid Crown of old, which was mainly aimed at executives of mid-range companies (and popular with mid-level gangsters, taxi drivers and police officers who used it in “stealth” mode to catch speeding drivers on the expressways).

The four new versions will be released over the next year and a half with the stunning Crossover first out of the gate. Typically, the Crown has been available as a sedan but has also seen estate models in the past. The other three models are the Sport, the Sedan and the Estate. Crowns usually come with a variety of engines and performance figures.

The Crossover is a radical change for the brand, giving the appearance of a hatchback but on a raised SUV-like platform.

While the new Sedan bears some resemblance to the current version, the Estate is more like an SUV, as is the dramatic Sport.

The new cars are expected to be hybrid in nature with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and automatic or CVT gearboxes.

As usual, the interiors are executive in style and feature state-of-the-art technology.

In Japan, the Crossover will sell for between 5.1 million and 6.4 million yen (about $47,000.)