NASHVILLE — Toyota has humble expectations in the U.S. for the 2023 Toyota Crown, the brand's new lifted, fastback-shaped sedan that replaces the Avalon in the automaker's lineup.
It is returning what is considered one of the brand's most storied nameplates in Japan to the U.S. for the first time in 50 years giving American consumers their first chance to experience the 15th generation of the long-running Japanese sedan and its technological prowess.
"This was a car that sort of grew up in the domestic market in Japan, but now that it's reached this point, it's a big opportunity for it to go to the next stage," Akihiro Sarada, chief engineer of the Crown, told Automotive News through a translator during a media drive event here. "It's a brand-new model that sort of cherishes the inherent values, the Japanese values, while making sure that those values are acceptable on the global stage and sort of bridging that gap."