The Significance Of The Toyota Crown Nameplate

Toyota is one of the oldest automotive manufacturers in the world with a vast automotive catalog. From little city cars to passenger cars, SUVs, buses, and even an ultra-luxury car. Toyota has a vehicle in almost every segment to help satisfy the general public with very notable names like Camry, Corolla, RAV4, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, and Hiace. But there is a particular model that is very important to Toyota’s history called the Crown.

The Crown has been one of the longest-running Toyota models since its inception in 1955 and is still being made to this day. This is a special car for the brand as it holds the title of the longest-running nameplate on any Toyota model. It has served as the mainstream passenger vehicle in Japan preceding all the passenger cars we know today from Toyota. With almost seven decades of history, the crown has served the citizens of Japan well but has also had quite a diverse identity.

The Origin Of The Crown

The first Crown was released in 1955 under the Toyopet name alongside the Masterline division of vehicles. The Toyopet Crown would be made available to only private buyers who wanted to use it as their family vehicle. The Masterline cars would serve the general public as commercial vehicles with just the essentials. It was essentially the same car but built to suit whatever purpose it was intended for from commercial taxis to luxury cars.

This car is quite special to Toyota since it was among the first vehicles built after World War II. While other manufacturers like Isuzu and Nissan formed alliances with foreign brands to help build their cars, Toyota stuck to its policy and developed an all-Japanese-engineered vehicle.

The Masterline Was Discontinued

The general public preferred the Crowns to the Masterline variants since they were better equipped and more comfortable. They ended up being used for commercial purposes which ended the Masterline production in 1956 to focus on just the Crown. While there is nothing special about the original Crown since it was just a passenger car, it did have a suicide door setup similar to a modern Rolls Royce with conventional front doors and rear-hinged doors.

The second generation also saw the introduction of the Crown logo which Toyota started using for this model. The Crown was successful and has been in continuous production for almost seven decades and is now in its 16th generation. It still retains the Crown logo and makes use of it mainly in Japan instead of the Toyota logo.

Toyota Crown Generations

• 1955-Toyopet Crown 1st generation RS/S10/S20/S30
• 1962-Second generation S40
• 1967-3rd generation S50
• 1971-Toyota Crown 4th generation S60/S70: First Crown to be called a Toyota
• 1974-5th generation S80/S90/S100
• 1979-6th generation S110: First Crown turbo
• 1983-7th generation S120
• 1987-8th generation S130
• 1991-9th generation S140
• 1995-10th generation S150
• 1999-11th generation S170
• 2003-12th generation S180
• 2008-13th generation S200: First Crown hybrid with many innovations
• 2012-14th generation S210
• 2018-15th generation S220
• 2022-16th generation S230

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The First Toyota In The U.S.

The Crown was also the very first Toyota to be exported to the US in 1958 as an alternative to the other American cars. Toyota wanted to expand sales to markets like the US since it had been a successful vehicle in Japan. They were confident that the cars would sell well because they were very reliable. Toyota built these cars with thicker steel than those used on US road cars to further increase their safety but there was a huge issue.

The Crown Was Very Slow

It was very slow compared to the American vehicles and couldn’t keep up with highway traffic, it was also quite a heavy car weighing in at 2700 pounds. But the Crown still went on sale until 1960 when Toyota stopped all passenger car sales to the U.S. after accumulating losses of around $1.4 million. This was also caused by competitors like Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth offering better and bigger cars which cost a bit less than the Crown.

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A Crown For Every Purpose

The Crown was built to be a multi-purpose vehicle from the beginning and that has never changed throughout the generations. It is probably the only vehicle in Toyota’s line-up that serves multiple purposes not only in its hometown of Japan but also in other markets where it is sold. The Toyota Crown seems to be a jack of all trades, it may be the most multi-purpose vehicle in automotive history. These are the purposes that it has served and still serves today;

• A family car: You can buy a Crown as a regular family and daily driver.
• A station wagon: Crowns were available as wagons with more boot space with some versions called Vans.
• A sports coupe: A two-door version available with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th generations.
• A pickup truck: A utility tuck version offered in 2nd and 3rd generations.
• A taxi: It started with the Masterline versions but the crown has been used as taxis in Japan and other markets like Singapore.
• A police car: Popularly known as the Toyota Patrol used by the Japanese police even with the latest cars. They also serve as police escorts for government officials.
• An official vehicle: Government officials made use of the Crown as an official vehicle. Royal versions were also introduced for the 8th gen which was aimed at higher income individuals and made use of different license plates so it was considered a prestigious vehicle.
• A Limousine: A six-door airport limousine concept shown in 1961 that never went into production.

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A Crown In Every Toyota

The Crown paved the way for most Toyota passenger vehicles we know today. This meant subsequent cars had to live up to or surpass the standard of the Crown. This also meant they had to somehow have a name related to the Crown.

Crown Models

Toyota Corona: Introduced in 1957, the Corona was produced for 11 generations with production ending in 2001. The word Corona means Crown in Spanish and the Oxford Dictionary defines it as a part of the body resembling a crown. Even the Corona beer brand has the logo of a Crown

Toyota Corolla: Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was introduced which is a Latin word for small crown.

Toyota Camry: The Camry has been in production since 1982 and the name was derived from the Japanese word “Kanmuri” which means Crown.

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The Future Of The Crown Name

Toyota unveiled the 16th generation Crown in 2022 and has completely revived the crown name with a host of new models. In keeping with its multipurpose mission, the new Crown was unveiled with four body styles; a crown crossover, sport, sedan, and estate. Toyota sees the Crown as the symbol of Japanese pride and affluence, and for the first time, it would be made available as a global model to be sold in over 40 countries.

Hybrid Vs. Hybrid Max Engines

(Source: Toyota)

The decision to expand the Crown’s lineup started in its 13th generation. Toyota’s former CEO, Akio Toyoda spoke about how Japan’s feudal dynasty ended at 15 and the current Crown would do so too. The plan was to revamp the 16th-gen Crown with a new lineup since it was going to become the new flagship model for Toyota. Executive Vice President Nakajima wanted the Crown to be a flagship for everyone, so it had to have its own line-up.

The Crown sedan went on sale in North America in October 2022 as a replacement for the Toyota Avalon. It is being marketed as a luxury car and has interior features closer to that of a Lexus than a traditional Toyota. But the exterior design looks closer to a lifted hatchback than a crossover. Furthermore, it is being sold here as a Toyota but in Japan, it is marketed as a Crown with the historic crown badge instead of a Toyota badge. This is the first modern-day Crown model to hit U.S. shores, with the second model being the newly launched Crown Signia SUV.