Look out LandCruiser: Toyota's mystery flagship SUV registered for Australia as new-car king prepares for Crown

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Look out LandCruiser - the Crown is coming. (image credit Best Car Web)
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
1 May 2022
2 min read

Toyota’s new flagship SUV has been trademarked in Australia, clearing the way for a local launch for the high-riding Crown.

Tipped to be Toyota’s most expensive SUV to date, the new model is reportedly a high-riding answer to the Crown sedan in Japan – the first time a new SUV body style has debuted on one of the brand’s oldest nameplates.

It was always intended to be a global product, and it seems as though Australia is now in the frame for launch, with Toyota trademarking the Crown logo with our patent office at the end of April.

According to news site Reuters, the new SUV will be based on a revamped Crown, and could be Toyota's most-expensive SUV offering, sitting above even the Sequoia in the North American market.

Expected to be offered in rear- and all-wheel-drive format, and possibly powered by the petrol V6 i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Tundra - the logo for which has also recently been trademarked in Australia - the new model is expected to further shrink the gap between the brand's mainstream models and its luxury Lexus equivalents.

It will also be the brand's biggest and most expensive hybrid model, with reports suggesting a conventional hybrid will be first to launch, followed by a plug-in hybrid variant and a full BEV.

Japanese media suggest the new SUV will be initially built in Japan targeting the domestic market, as well as the USA and China, before "evolving" into a global model.

The new Crown SUV is expected to break cover this year, ahead of an official global launch in 2023. Toyota in Australia is yet to comment.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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