Toyota has a lot going on right now. It just revealed both a compact pickup and electric Land Cruiser concepts at the Japan Mobility Show. Now we get a teaser for a new Toyota midsize hybrid SUV with zero information attached to it.
[Related content: Teaser alert! Toyota Crown SUV confirmed]
Is it just a new powertrain?
Our first inclination was to think this might just be a powertrain change for an existing midsize SUV in the Toyota lineup. RAV4 and Venza, both of which have hybrid powertrains, are due for a freshening soon.
But if you take a closer look at the image and read between the lines, we’ve come to a different conclusion – it is, in fact, a completely new SUV.
Toyota Crown-based SUV
Taking a look at the Auto News future pipeline, we see the publication has stated Toyota will push out a Crown-based premium crossover in 2024. Now, going back to the image, we noticed the “C” above the license plate holder, and the font looks similar to that used on the Toyota Crown sedan.
The accompanying 16-word press release states that this new product will be an all-wheel-drive hybrid midsize SUV, and considering that the Toyota Crown is a hybrid-only sedan with AWD, a Crown SUV makes sense to us. Plus, the parting shot in press release, “C u … soon,” not only points again to the letter “C” but also indicates we’ll see the reveal soon – perhaps at the LA Auto Show in November.
What to expect from a Toyota midsize hybrid SUV
If Toyota follows the nomenclature established by the Corolla/Corolla Cross combo, we could expect the name of this new midsize SUV to be Crown Cross. We can also expect the interior to look similar to the sedan counterpart with some exterior to share some key design connections as well.
As far as the powertrains, we’d expect those to be similar as well. Crown has a base powertrain, which utilizes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. This powertrain has a total power output of 236 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. The up-level Hybrid Max system is performance-focused powertrain and includes a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine as well as two motors specifically design for the higher power output. Combined output here is 340 horsepower.
The bottom line
We’re just making an educated guess here, and Toyota could be coming out with a completely different C-named SUV. Considering that the LA Auto Show (if that’s where this will debut) is less than a month away, however, we shouldn’t have too long to wait to see what this new Toyota midsize hybrid SUV will be.
