Rumor: Toyota might keep the Crown sedan alive, after all

It was announced last year that the latest, 15th, generation of the Toyota Crown would become its last, but Japanese magazine Spyder7 has just reported that the company started working on a new generation.

It had been assumed that Toyota would discontinue the Crown sedan and only use the name ‘Crown’ for other, mostly unrelated cars, such as the SUV known as the Crown Kluger.

However, if the rumor is true, a new Crown sedan is coming up next year. Spyder7 claims it will trade its current RWD platform for a FWD one, likely still Toyota’s TNGA. This move would enable the manufacturer to cut production costs while also unifying the appearance and features of the Crown model with the rest of the lineup. As for the engines, we might be offered a choice between a 2.5-liter hybrid and a 3.5-liter V6.

The current-gen Crown S220 (see gallery and video) comes based on the TNGA architecture and supports optional AWD. Buyers can choose between a 2.0-liter turbo version and two hybrids.