The sixteenth generation of the Toyota Crown Sedan made its first public outing in FCEV form during the Super Taikyu Fuji 24 Hours race in Japan over the weekend. The market launch of the hydrogen-powered model is scheduled for autumn 2023 alongside the identical-looking hybrid variant. Toyota previewed the entire Crown family in July 2022, which encompasses four different body styles including the crossover that’s available in North America, the Sports Type SUV, the Estate Type and the Sedan Type seen here. The inclusion of a four-door sedan is in line with the longstanding tradition of the Crown nameplate, which dates back to its introduction in 1955.

The first public outing of the Crown Sedan took place at the Shanghai Auto Show in April but this was just a static prototype, effectively making the appearance in the Fuji Speedway a world premiere. While Toyota didn’t publish a gallery from the race weekend, a number of Japanese YouTubers were there to give us a closer look at the model inside and out. The sedan exhibits a more commanding road presence, looking more premium and imposing compared to its predecessor. At the front, there is a large lower bumper intake, chrome detailing, and hammerhead-style LED headlights. On the sides we see the 20-inch alloy wheels, minimalist surfacing, FCEV badges on the front fenders, and a sloping roofline towards the back. The tail gets a full-width LED treatment, a trunk that appears to open together with a shiny black extension of the rear glass, and a sculpted bumper without visible exhaust outlets.

 

The cabin incorporates luxurious touches including wood panels adorning the dashboard and center console, leather upholstery, and handles on the seatbacks. Rear legroom appears to be quite generous on the right side thanks to the fact that the front passenger seat automatically retracts when not in use. The digital cockpit looks similar to the rest of the Crown family with two 12.3-inch screens mounted on the same panel and plenty of physical buttons on the steering wheel. As with its predecessors, the Crown doesn’t feature Toyota emblems, as it has evolved into more of a sub-brand with its own distinct identity.

According to the spec sheet, the 2024 Crown Sedan measures 5,030 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,470 mm tall, with a 3,000 mm. This makes it 102 mm longer compared to the Crown Crossover that is also available in the US. At the moment, we don’t have any information about the specifications of the FCEV or the hybrid powertrains of the Crown Sedan. It’s possible that the hydrogen-powered version will be closely related to the second-gen Mirai. After all, both sedans are similarly sized and underpinned by Toyota’s TNGA-L architecture. As the market launch in Japan draws closer, we can expect to gather more information about the Toyota Crown Sedan as well as its Estate (SUV-Wagon) and Sport (SUV) counterparts.