Going back more than 10 years, when it comes to Japanese high-end models, in my impression, the crown is unique. In those days, being able to sit on an equal footing with the BBA became a symbol of status for many people. Today, in the domestic market, the pure crown car no longer exists, replaced by the crown brand, such as crown land release, crown Will law.
In the eyes of many people, is this really a crown? I think the answer is different. The good news is for those who seek purity. Recently, we learned from relevant channels that the new Crown (15th generation model) will be introduced into China as an import through FAW Toyota's channels. At present, some dealers are already accepting new car reservations. It is reported that the deposit is 5,000 yuan, and the pre-sale price is between 350,000 and 450,000.
The identity of imported cars, the starting price of 350,000, the positioning of medium and large cars, and the luxury route, which makes the new crown enter the country, is a bit of a sword to the rhythm of Lexus ES. So the question is, the same 400,000 or so, is the import crown competitive?
From the information currently available, if the new crown enters the country as an imported car, it is difficult to go, from the brand to the pricing, in today's consumer market, the "gold content" of the crown is difficult to reach the height of the past. Because from the perspective of the brand, I believe that those who can recognize the crown are people with feelings, and their age will not be small. The new crown has developed to the fifteenth generation, and the main theme is the young movement. So it's a little harder to get young people who can afford to spend 400,000 cars to choose the crown. You know, the BBA at the same level is absolutely mainstream, the same is Japanese, and Lexus is sitting, and the position of the crown is a bit awkward.
From the perspective of models, the new crown has two highlights. The first is from the TNGA-N platform, which is a back-drive platform and has a certain blood relationship with Lexus GS. In this way, the positioning of the new Crown is higher than that of the Lexus ES, and the Lexus ES is from the TNGA-K platform, which is the front-drive platform. Therefore, the embodiment of high-level is not only the brand, but also the model platform is more important.
Second, the power under the TNGA-N platform provides three power versions of 2.0T fuel, 2.5L hybrid and 3.5L hybrid respectively. Among them, the power of the 3.5L hybrid is the ceiling of the current Toyota series including Lexus luxury cars (hybrids), and the flagship sedan Lexus LS is also this set of power. Therefore, combining the above two points, from the platform to the power, it is not only the brand that supports the new crown premium, but the entire car.
Ah Chuan commented on the car
The reasons for the success of a car are manifold, and in my understanding, it takes good timing. And the former crown can succeed in China, it is precisely to occupy the time and place. But now, the luxury car segment at this price point is too competitive, and the key is that the BBA has been sitting in half of the country, occupying most of the market share. Therefore, as said at the beginning of the article, the return of the new crown must not be against the volume, the significance of its emergence is to occupy more market segments, the so-called more children are good "fights".