This link is a thread on the soompi.com forums where a member took some camera phone shots of some obviously JDM Toyotas in LA. Hmmmm...very interesting..

http://soompi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=344220

 

wow that's very interesting! they brought over the crown for lexus testing huh?

maybe it's for the next LS. hint hint

 

Soompi.com Forums

Emergency Database Maintenace... This could be a couple of hours....

UH OH....Looks like somebody got in trouble.

 

I got the emergency database operations message too, but I wonder if this was near where that "next gen Accord" was shot.

 

damn i couldn't believe it's down, hopefully it's not coz' of the pics. shouldn't be anything bad though imho

 

Too late for me. Really wanted to see what cars they are testing there.
I'd say the fact that Toyota North America has put the Crown as a concept on their Future Vehicles web page gives a lot of credibility to the test cars the guy saw.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/crown.html

Wonder where Toyota will position the Crown. Above the Avalon and become the only RWD Toyota in the lineup? I don't think it'll become a Lexus though. Lexus don't want rebadged Toyota in their new lineup anymore. That's for sure.

 

soompi.com goes down often....anyways it's back up now. Be glad that we have reliability here at ClubLexus.com. It rarely goes down.

Looks like the images are gone...it's a good thing I saved them on my computer at home. I'll post them up tonight.

 

Thanks. Be sure to post them for us.

 

Please do post them, I missed them too, thanks in advance

 

link with pictures are working again...

 

Wow, that is very interesting. Weird that it's got a Lexus badge on the steering wheel.

Could it be that Lexus is attempting the bifurcated, sport/luxury approach in the $40k to $60k class as well?

In the $30k to $40k class, Lexus has the IS for sport and the ES for pure luxury.

So, in the $40k to $60k class, will Lexus have the GS for sport and the "Crown" (or whatever the alpha-numeric designation will be) for pure luxury?

Maybe it'll just be sold as a $40k Toyota, above the Avalon. But that'll be weird to have a more luxurious and expensive Toyota than a Lexus (the ES). The new Avalon kinda oversteps the ES in many areas as it is.

What are the engine options for the Crown in Japan?

 

Nice!! So apparantly the steering wheel has been modded with a Lexus badge? Wonder why it was only done to the steering wheel but not the tail.

Due to the mod I'd say this car has nothing official to do with Toyota North America. Must've been simply imported directly by someone with the means.

 

i know it sounds stupid but it could be the next ES, never know the rear still kinda remembles the current LS and did u see the push button start, its on the right side of the steering wheel instead of the left side/ and the shifter looks like the current LS as well from the inside, i could see it, dont know if yall could, kinda studied the pic. and gas is really expensive there! 2.87 a gallon?! i'll be riding the bus, with my driving, that wond work

 

The pic with the Lexus steering wheel shows 2 gauges on the passenger side. I wonder what it's for? Perhaps the steering wheel is a special testing unit from Lexus that gathers all sorts of information. Man! I want to test it too!

 

It resembles the LS in some ways simply because it's also from Toyota. And I don't think it's ever gonna be the next ES since Lexus clearly wants to do away with rebadging existing Toyotas as Lexus.