Toyota Crown returns to Korea after half a century

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Toyota Crown returns to Korea after half a century

Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, poses with the latest Crown crossover in southern Seoul on Monday. [TOYOTA MOTOR]

Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, poses with the latest Crown crossover in southern Seoul on Monday. [TOYOTA MOTOR]

 
Toyota's longest-running passenger car Crown is back in Korea after a 51-year hiatus, this time as a crossover with a hybrid engine. 
 
Toyota Motor on Monday introduced the latest Crown for the Korean market as a crossover utility vehicle, a cross between a sedan and an SUV that offers a wider interior and expansive views like an SUV, but with less weight.
 
The Crown, with 69 years of history, is the first mass-produced vehicle from Toyota. The last time it was sold in the Korean market was in 1972.   
 
Measuring 4,980 millimeters (196 inches) long, 1,840 millimeters wide and 1,540 millimeters in height, the Crown is somewhat between its rivals Hyundai Motor's Grandeur and Sonata sedans. 
 
The hammerhead-style LED headlights offer a futuristic design, a bit like Hyundai's Grandeur sedan. 
 
"As sales of SUVs are on the rise in Korea, we brought in the crossover version as the first model," said Lee Byung-jin, managing director of Toyota Motor Korea during a press event Monday in southern Seoul. 
 
The latest Crown is also available as sedans, SUVs and hatchbacks in Japan. Toyota Motor may introduce other versions in Korea later. 
 
Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, talks during a press conference in southern Seoul on Monday. [TOYOTA MOTOR]

Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea, talks during a press conference in southern Seoul on Monday. [TOYOTA MOTOR]

 
The car comes with two different powertrains: a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine or a 2.4-liter turbocharged hybrid engine, both equipped with Toyota's exclusive high-energy eco-friendly bipolar nickel metal hydride batteries, which the maker claims maximizes fuel economy and comfort during driving. 
 
The former model has a fuel economy of 17.2 kilometers per liter (40.6 miles per gallon). 
 
The 2.4-liter hybrid model boasts up to 239 horsepower, but only 100 units will be available for order. 
 
The sticker price starts from 56.7 million won ($43,380), compared to the Granduer's 44.6 million won. 
 
Toyota Motor has been engaged in its latest effort to boost Korean sales since 2019, when Japanese export restrictions sparked a Korean boycott of Japanese products.
 
Toyota and Lexus sold a total of 13,851 vehicles in Korea last year, fewer than half of the units they sold in 2018.
 
"Sales are growing as a result of improved supplies of auto semiconductors," said Konyama Manabu, CEO of Toyota Motor Korea. 
 
Toyota sold a total of 1,603 units in Korea in May, becoming the third most popular imported brand after Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
 

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]
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