Toyota heads into the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon with
a dressed up version of its large sedan, the Crown Modellista which will be a
Japan-only model. The car is based on the Toyota Crown Concept, which was
displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October this year, previews the fifteenth
generation of the model.
The Modellista kit builds upon the Crown’s exterior,
adding more chrome accents around the front bumper which is also home to a new
spoiler lip. Along the sides, the front fenders appear to have air-moving
elements, while the side skirts are visually more substantial items.
There’s also additional metallic trim on the side
mirror covers as well as a new wheel design. The rear bumper houses exhaust
exits which are now square instead of rounded units, with revised housings,
bookending a new diffuser look.
No changes under the skin are listed,
which means that the eventual production car will start with the base 2.0 litre
turbocharged petrol which cranks out 235 PS and 350 Nm of torque paired to an
eight-speed auto; a 3.5 litre NA V6 petrol is also expected, with a 10-speed
automatic.
A hybrid powertrain version is likely to adopt the
Multi Stage Hybrid System V6 with twin electric motors for a total system
output of 354 hp, paired with a four-speed transmission which works with the
electric motors so simulate the feel of a 10-speed transmission.
It will
include autonomous emergency braking along with vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)
and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. Data communication modules for
connectivity to the Internet of Things (IoT) will come as standard.
The fifteenth-generation Toyota Crown is set to
go on sale in its native Japan in the summer of 2018, with the Modellista
version here set to make its public appearance at the Tokyo Auto Salon next
month.
