The Toyota Crown is one of the rarest models the Japanese carmaker has ever introduced in South Africa, and it’s currently up for sale.
TopAuto recently spotted a single example of the elusive Toyota listed on AutoTrader – a 2024 model with 10,000km on the clock.
The Crown had one of the most unusual launches in recent memory, making its initial public debut at Toyota’s State of the Motoring Industry Address (SOMI) back in January 2023.
SOMI is an annual event held by the nation’s leading automaker unveils its cars for the upcoming year, from small hatchbacks like the Vitz to new special-edition Hilux variants.
The Crown was a standout entry when it appeared in 2023, as the nameplate was last seen in South Africa all the way back in 1995.
Naturally, it made for big news that the Crown would once again be sold locally, but the automaker went quiet on the vehicle shortly thereafter.
Four months passed without a word from Toyota as to when the Crown would go on sale; however, an update later came from an unusual source in the form of Naamsa’s monthly sales report.
The automotive body’s sales report for April 2023 listed all the usual Toyota suspects, including thousands of Hilux and Starlets, but it also contained an entry for the purchase of a single Crown unit.
This trend continued throughout 2023, with one or two Crowns appearing in each month’s sales report.
The Crown never had an official media launch, nor did the company make an announcement that the vehicle had gone on sale, and yet a few models were evidently finding their way into new homes each month.
Toyota never commented on what happened with the Crown, but the general consensus from audiences is that the car is a niche model and the company only brought in a handful of units, which were then distributed to a few lucky individuals.
The end result is that the Crown is one of the rarest Toyota models in the country, and you’ll need to get lucky browsing second-hand sites to find someone willing to sell theirs.
What is the Crown?
As its regal name implies, the Crown is one of the most upmarket vehicles in Toyota’s stable, excluding the various badges found in Lexus dealerships.
While the previous iterations of the badge were all sedans, the current-gen model is actually classified as a crossover.
Having said that, its long, sleek body is remarkably close to that of a sedan, though you have the added benefit of improved ground clearance.
Another quirk of the vehicle is that it is a hybrid, featuring a 2.5-litre petrol engine with four small electric motors places over each wheel.
The motors work in tandem with the engine to produce 176kW, all while consuming a rather frugal 4.4l/100km.
Since there is a motor over each wheel, the Crown has an all-wheel-drive power delivery system, which connects to the drivetrain via a CVT transmission.
The rest of the package isn’t too shabby either, as it includes keyless entry and start, electronically adjustable heated leather seats, automatic climate control, a digital instrument cluster, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a sunroof.
It also comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED lights with high-beam assist, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, and seven airbags.
When it was first revealed, the listed retail price of the Crown was R918,900, and the model on AutoTrader is currently selling for R839,900, so anyone who purchases one now is likely to score a pretty good discount for a car with a low mileage on it.
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