The Toyota Crown evolves with the hydrogen fuel cell and the solid electrolyte battery
Published by The team in News the 22/06/2023 at 16:41
The Toyota Crown is one of Toyota's most iconic models, although it is not a car that debuted in Spain. It is chosen to become Toyota's second production hydrogen model and could also be equipped with solid electrolyte battery technology, offering a range of 1,500 kilometres.
The Toyota Crown is regularly honored for a variety of reasons. It was the very first fully produced passenger vehicle in Japan in 1955, making it the longest-lived production model in Toyota's history.
Over the different generations, the Toyota Crown has served as a police car and a taxi. Some generations have remained faithful to their original essence, without undergoing too many updates, but retaining their distinctive character.
Its imposing appearance and generous dimensions have allowed Toyota to adapt to the modern trends of our time. Despite this, its robustness and reliability continue to be admired, especially in markets such as Japan and the United States. In fact, the Toyota Crown was Toyota's first car to set foot on American soil.
The first kilometers of the mythical Toyota Crown
Shortly after its birth, Toyota introduced the model to the American market in 1958. Three years earlier, it debuted in the domestic market as the Toyopet Crown. The first unit was produced on January 1, 1955 at the Honsha plant.
The model's design featured several references to Toyota's first car, the Toyota AA, which had launched the company's automotive business nearly twenty years previously. For example, it included suicide doors (reverse opening) for the second row.
What is less well known is that the Crown had a twin brother of almost the same generation, the Toyopet Master. This had a slightly less bold design, in anticipation of the taxi market in case the Crown was not a success. Indeed, the two versions shared an inline four-cylinder engine capable of producing 48 HP, with a three-speed manual gearbox that struggled to reach 100 km/h.
However, the Toyota Crown received a more positive than expected reception in Japan, even surpassing the manufacturer's expectations, which ultimately relegated the other family line after a few years.
This success is not surprising, as the Crown showed great robustness and mechanical reliability on the Japanese roads of the time. It had a new suspension system and offered enough space to accommodate six people in the conditions of the time.
She was warmly welcomed by wealthy families in post-war Japan as they prepared to enter a period of unprecedented economic growth. Toyota quickly exploited its premium appearance by offering the 55 HP "Crown Deluxe" variant, which came with such key features of the time as the heating system and radio.
True to form, but with a few exceptions
The fact that the first Toyota to leave Japan was not satisfied with its first experience does not mean that it was satisfied. Originally designed for the Japanese market in the 1950s, the Crown enjoyed great success in the domestic market, leading to an increase in official cars and taxis sporting its emblem.
However, during its first foray into the United States, the Crown encountered difficulties due to the vast territories, wide highways and long straight lines of the country. Its motorization did not meet the preferences and requirements of North American drivers.
Instead of backing down, Toyota has taken note of these issues and adapted the Crown to suit them. After all, its robustness corresponded to certain peculiarities of the American market.
That is why, in its second generation, the Crown underwent an update of its bodywork, introducing new variants, increasing its rigidity and, above all, increasing the power of its engine to 95 CV, which allowed it to reach a top speed of over 130 km/h. Moreover, it was offered with manual and automatic transmission.
Toyota has maintained, generation after generation, this spirit of wonder, this presence with a certain touch of elegance, while keeping an eye on the American market. This approach allowed Toyota to be compared to more luxurious models, but at much more affordable prices. The well-defined square lines, along with an unmistakable grille, have been preserved over the decades, adapting to every detail along the way, with just one exception.
With the introduction of the fourth generation, Toyota dared to change the design scheme, especially with the aforementioned front end, styling it more than its target audience wanted. Due to the lack of acceptance, the manufacturer quickly reverted to the formula that had worked in previous generations.
Very current influences from the Toyota bZ4X
Considering current trends, the Toyota bZ4X has had a huge influence. The styling of the Crown was becoming obsolete, although it still had its loyal fans. However, far from heading towards extinction, Toyota has played a lucrative trick with the recent and latest generation, the sixteenth, where it is available in the markets.
Some might think sedans have lost much of their relevance given how the SUV segment has expanded its influence into unexpected sizes and styles over the past two decades.
The traditional attributes of the Crown blend perfectly with today's trends. That's why Toyota has deliberately infused the latest generation Crown with certain values, elevating it and giving it a crossover touch that makes it a rather robust model.
In such a way that the Crown straddles that delicate boundary where the sedan ends and the crossover begins. Toyota recently announced the integration of a new all-wheel drive system capable of redirecting up to 80% of the power to the rear axle.
The physical (and conceptual) similarities to the Toyota bZ4X are also noteworthy. Of course, the current version of the Crown retains its internal combustion engine, offering two hybrid powertrain options characteristic of the brand. The top-of-the-range variant (Hybrid Max) achieves an output of 345 horsepower thanks to the combination of a 2.4-liter gasoline engine and two electric motors. Toyota has also adapted the eCVT transmission specifically for this model, thus creating a more emotional automatic driving experience in line with the image of the brand.
Toyota Crown EV, with solid electrolyte batteries
And, according to Toyota, the Crown will share more than looks with the bZ4X. Indeed, they revealed that the sedan will be one of the first models to introduce emerging solid-state battery technology by 2027. This breakthrough will allow the Toyota Crown EV to exceed 1,000 kilometers of electric range. , which represents a major technological milestone.
This announcement was anticipated by Gill Pratt, one of Toyota's top executives, during an interview at CES in Las Vegas in early 2022, and has been confirmed by the manufacturer. The latest confirmation came this month with the release of Toyota's battery strategy for electric cars.
Some have greeted this announcement with some skepticism. It's true that we spent many years making battery promises that never materialized. What sets Toyota apart is that it's not so common for an industry-leading company to commit so strongly and go so far as to set introduction dates.
The hydrogen-powered Toyota Crown
Prior to this, as per Toyota's announcement in April, the Toyota Crown was selected to accommodate hydrogen fuel cell technology. This decision illustrates once again the serious and continuous commitment of the Japanese manufacturer to hydrogen as a fuel for the automotive industry, both for batteries and for hydrogen combustion engines. Toyota thus maintains its role as a world leader and pioneer in this field.
The Crown will become Toyota's second hydrogen-powered model, and this new combination of fuel cell technology and the sedan performs a mutually beneficial dual function.
On the one hand, thanks to the fame, prestige and high-end characteristics of the latest generation of the Crown, the advantages and specificities of the fuel cell can be partially popularized. The engine and driving experience will be similar to that of the Toyota Mirai.
The integration of the battery and the 700 bar hydrogen tanks inside the Toyota Crown has an obvious coherence. This decision fits perfectly into the architectural logic. It's no surprise that among the three variants of the current generation of the Crown (SUV, crossover and sedan), the version built on the TNGA GA-L platform is the longest and widest.
The sedan will have a length exceeding that of the Mirai, reaching 5030 mm, and a width of 1890 mm. Its design will therefore follow similar steps to those of the Mirai, presenting itself as a large model destined to become the official car of many events.
It is clear that although trends have changed a lot since the launch of the very first Toyota Crown in 1955, the manufacturer wants to revive the legend by taking advantage of its advantages to integrate the latest propulsion technologies. So we can expect to see the Toyota Crown for some time to come.
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