Toyota Motor announced a new model of the luxury sedan "Crown".

This time, we will introduce SUVs = multipurpose sports vehicles for the first time in Japan, aiming to capture new demand as the sedan market shrinks.

This car was released in 1955 and is a representative luxury sedan with a history of more than 60 years.

This time, which is the 16th generation, in addition to the sedan, we have set four models such as the first SUV in Japan and the "crossover" type that combines the SUV and the sedan.



Until now, it was sold mainly in Japan, but this model will be sold in about 40 countries and regions in sequence from this autumn, so the "Cross" to be sold in Japan this fall The price of "Over" starts from 4.35 million yen.



In the domestic market, sedans used to occupy the top sales, but as SUVs and other vehicles are becoming more popular year by year, the company aims to capture new demand by expanding its lineup.



At the recital, President Akio Toyoda said, "In order for a long-selling product to survive, we must take on the challenge of changing ourselves. We want to challenge the world again with a car that brings together world-class Japanese technology and human resources." ..



Sales of the domestic sedan market have been sluggish in recent years. Honda discontinued production of the "Legend" last year, and Nissan Motor plans to discontinue production of the "Cima" and "Fuga" by next month.

History of domestic luxury car "Crown"

The "Crown" has been popular for many years as a representative of domestic luxury cars.



The first model was released in 1955.



In Japan, when the car was made with the cooperation of overseas manufacturers, Toyota completed it as a "pure domestic" car.



The ride quality and durability were highly evaluated, and sales increased mainly for wealthy people, company cars, and hire cars.



Since then, it has been known as a representative model of luxury sedans for more than 60 years, as it is known by the catch phrase "Someday Crown".



During this time, we have made many model changes to suit the times.



Since the main target was relatively old people and companies, the design continued to be calm, but in the 14th generation announced in 2012, a flashy pink color was also introduced.



With a completely new design that stands out, the aim was to appeal to a wide range of users.



The 15th generation, released in 2018, was released as the first of the "connected cars" that have communication functions and can receive various services.



According to Toyota, the cumulative sales volume of the "Crown" to date has reached 6.76 million units worldwide.

Domestic automobile market Increase sales of light vehicles and SUVs

In the domestic automobile market, sedan-type cars were once overwhelmingly popular, but in recent years, sales of various types of cars such as mini cars and SUVs = multipurpose sports cars have been increasing.



About 30 years ago, in 1990, nine of the top ten cars in the domestic new car sales ranking were cars with sedans such as the Corolla and Sunny.



However, after that, against the background of sluggish wage growth, the need for cars with low maintenance costs and good fuel economy has gradually increased, and sales of light cars and compact cars are increasing.



Recently, various types of vehicles have been introduced to the market due to the increasing popularity of SUVs.



As a result, in last year's new car sales ranking, half of the top 10 cars were light cars, SUVs and compact cars were in the top, and only one car had a sedan setting.



Under these circumstances, automobile manufacturers are moving to stop producing sedans one after another.



▽ Toyota Motor discontinued production of "Mark X" three years ago, ▽ Honda discontinued production of "Legend" last year, and ▽ Nissan Motor also produced "Cima" and "Fuga" by next month. We have decided on a policy to finish it, and each company is reviewing the car lineup.