The current, 14th (!) generation Toyota Crown was launched back in December 2012 and was slightly refreshed in 2015. The model is now almost five years old and is in a desperate need of a successor. During the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, the Japanese manufacturer will present a near production prototype of the new Crown, which could be revealed sometime next year.
Definitely the most important thing about the new Crown is the switch to Toyota's new TNGA platform, which should "offer customers the enjoyment of driving cars while pursuing a future mobility society." That's a pretty vague statement, but we expect the re-engineered model to be lighter, featuring better handling and improved driving stability, all tested at the German Nurburgring track. The automaker promises the driver will only have to "enjoy the driving experience."
Preliminary details suggest the new Crown will be slightly longer than the model that's still on sale - 193 inches (4,190 millimeters) versus 192 in (4,885 mm), with a bit longer wheelbase. This should result in more space for the passengers, as well as additional boot volume.
As far as the design is concerned, the Crown study, previewing the 15th generation of the sedan, comes with sharp styling, dominated by massive radiator grille at the front, flanked by sweptback headlights. The side profile is muscular with wide wheel arches and long rear overhang.
The production version of the concept seen here will be equipped with Data Communication Modules (DCM) as standard. The system will be gathering data for vehicles and traffic, and will process the information to solve "societal problems" by "reducing traffic jams in cities."
More information about the study and, hopefully, about the production model will be released during the Tokyo Motor Show later this month, so stay tuned.
