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I'm enamored by the Crown in Japan and the more I look at the new Avalon I'm noticing a lot of styling cues especially in the front end of the Avalon that's similar to the Crown. Why doesnt Toyota just bring over the Crown!? I would have bought that up in a hearbeat!
yah i'm not totally crazy about the rear end tailight treatment; too similar to the 7 series but the front end looks really good the more i look at it...and even looks better on darker colored avalons
I guess Toyota thinks that a RWD sedan should be reserved only for a luxury marque in North America. Bringing Crown over here as a Toyota will create too much identity crisis for Lexus, while badging it as a Lexus is a no go either since there's too little gap between the GS and the LS to slip in another car with GS's platform but with LS's level of luxury.
The JDM market is more suitable for a mid-sized true luxury car because of the much narrower streets and tighter parking space.
Last edited by XeroK00L; Aug 15, 2005 at 05:07 PM.
I also think they want the Toyota flagship to be a large full size car for the American market (that's why it's made in America for America). I think the Crown is more comparable to the GS in size ?
i guess i havent taken the time to decipher the dimensions of the Crown to compare it to the GS to see how it pairs up. But i do see the rationale w/ regards to true luxo mid-size for the congested streets of japan. Hell Infiniti did it w/ their M35/45 with their G35 sedans why couldn't lexus bring something like that over? some people may not want the "sport sedan" look but would rather have a "sedan". *shrugs*
I still think it'd be interesting to see how a two-model mid-size market strategy would work, similar to the strategy employed with the IS/ES.
Keep in mind the ES, while being an entry-luxury car, is a mid-size sedan, larger than the GS even, so bringing in the Crown as a Lexus really does make the lineup a bit crowded.
Keep in mind the ES, while being an entry-luxury car, is a mid-size sedan, larger than the GS even, so bringing in the Crown as a Lexus really does make the lineup a bit crowded.
I don't think bringing over the Toyota Crown is a good idea. It'll overlap with the Lexus GS too much. Unlike the IS and the ES, which are based on different platforms, the GS and the Crown are based on the same FR platform and have similar room inside.
I don't think bringing over the Toyota Crown is a good idea. It'll overlap with the Lexus GS too much. Unlike the IS and the ES, which are based on different platforms, the GS and the Crown are based on the same FR platform and have similar room inside.