Toyota Boss Confirms Crown Prime PHEV for North America
Since Toyota resists embracing EVs and instead prefers to focus on hybrids, it’s safe to expect more models of the latter to join the lineup in the near future.
In fact, some of the Japanese automaker’s current vehicles are exclusively available with a hybrid powertrain, such as the Sienna minivan and Venza midsize crossover. Don’t forget the upcoming 2023 Toyota Crown, a brand new type of sedan that will replace the departed Avalon when it goes on sale in Canada later this fall.
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Even before the Crown shows its face in showrooms, it’s been confirmed that a Prime plug-in hybrid variant will be offered at some point, too. Toyota boss Akio Toyoda himself said so to Motor Trend during an annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas last week.
Alas, details about this future Toyota Crown Prime remain a secret for now.
Logically, it would slot at the top of the range in terms of power. Remember, the base Crown XLE and Limited use a system similar to that of the RAV4 Hybrid, namely a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine combined with two electric motors and a CVT. Output is 236 horsepower, while fuel consumption is estimated at just 6.2 L/100 km.
Meanwhile, the Crown Platinum with Hybrid MAX technology uses a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine along with two electric motors. The combination produces 340 horsepower and burns an estimated 8.4 L/100 km on average. In this case, the setup is shared with the new-for-2023 Lexus RX 500h delivering 366 horsepower.
It’s interesting to note, however, that the top-line RX is more potent than the equally new RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, which is limited to just over 300 horsepower but enables 50+ km of zero-emission range thanks to an 18.1kWh battery.
All we can do for the time being is wait for the official numbers and specs to come out—and hope that Toyota will find a way to shield the hybrid components well enough to prevent “Cablegate” from dragging on.
