Photo: Driven District on YouTube
The GR Corolla rumor mill has kicked into high gear thanks to Driven District, a YouTuber who sourced an internal document from a Toyota dealership. The document in question indicates October 2022 for the U.S. market launch, along with a somewhat unexpected addition to the lineup.
October is also when the Crown goes on sale, a four-door sedan that would slot right between the Camry and Avalon. The question is, why? Avalon production will come to a grinding halt in August due to dwindling demand, and sedan sales typically lag behind crossovers, SUVs, and pickup trucks.
Toyota hasn’t sold a Crown in the United States in decades, but never say never because the Japanese automaker filed a trademark application with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office for this moniker back in May 2021.
It’s also worth noting that Crown oozes historical significance for Toyota stateside because the Japanese automaker’s first export to this part of the world consisted of 30 examples of the Crown Deluxe sedan in June 1958.
Currently produced exclusively in Japan, the mid-size model shares the GA-L platform with the Mirai fuel-cell sedan, LS full-size luxury sedan, and LC grand tourer. A rear-/all-wheel-drive affair with a longitudinal engine, the Crown is offered in the Land of the Rising Sun with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder mill, a 2.5-liter gasoline hybrid powertrain, or a top-of-the-line V6 hybrid option based around the 3.5-liter V6 used by the Lexus LS 500h and LC 500h.
As for the GR Corolla, we all know that we’re getting a three-cylinder turbo with 1.6 liters on tap. It’s pretty much the same lump that premiered in the GR Yaris, a three-door supermini with a trick all-wheel-drive system.
Shown in a YouTube video that’s been made private by Driven District, the document in question also includes a “New York Region 2022 Sales Plan” that lists the Crown with 200 units and GR Corolla with 90 examples.
Toyota hasn’t sold a Crown in the United States in decades, but never say never because the Japanese automaker filed a trademark application with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office for this moniker back in May 2021.
It’s also worth noting that Crown oozes historical significance for Toyota stateside because the Japanese automaker’s first export to this part of the world consisted of 30 examples of the Crown Deluxe sedan in June 1958.
Currently produced exclusively in Japan, the mid-size model shares the GA-L platform with the Mirai fuel-cell sedan, LS full-size luxury sedan, and LC grand tourer. A rear-/all-wheel-drive affair with a longitudinal engine, the Crown is offered in the Land of the Rising Sun with a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder mill, a 2.5-liter gasoline hybrid powertrain, or a top-of-the-line V6 hybrid option based around the 3.5-liter V6 used by the Lexus LS 500h and LC 500h.
As for the GR Corolla, we all know that we’re getting a three-cylinder turbo with 1.6 liters on tap. It’s pretty much the same lump that premiered in the GR Yaris, a three-door supermini with a trick all-wheel-drive system.
Shown in a YouTube video that’s been made private by Driven District, the document in question also includes a “New York Region 2022 Sales Plan” that lists the Crown with 200 units and GR Corolla with 90 examples.
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