• The Toyota Crown will get a Prime version, similarly to the plugin RAV4 Prime.
• Confirmation came from Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda.
• The fastback sedan will thus be offered in hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats.
Toyota, via its president and CEO Akio Toyoda, confirmed this week that a Prime version of the upcoming Toyota Crown is in the company’s plans. Surely prodded along in its thinking by the raging success of the RAV4 Prime compact SUV, the automaker made the easy decision to replicate the formula with its brand-new “lifted” fastback sedan.
Details of the future Crown Prime are absent from the discussion so far. But we do know the Crown Hybrid will get the same basic powertrain as the RAV4 Hybrid (a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, two electric motors on the front axle and one on the rear axle, and an expected (though unconfirmed) output od close to 240 hp).
Another, sportier variant of the Crown Hybrid will also be produced, the three electric motors will get a more-powerful ICE playmate, one good for about 340 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, according to speculation (and Motortrend).
Does that mean the Crown Prime’s powertrain’s output will be superior to that of the RAV4 Prime’s? Likely so, if Toyota wants to position the Prime model at the top of its model lineup. It will have to offer more than the sporty Crown’s expected 340 hp to do that (the RAV4 Prime gets 302 HP from its 2.5L 4-cylinder engine and two electric motors).
Stay tuned.
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