Could this new Toyota save the sedan in Australia?

Toyota is prepping to reveal a new-generation Crown in the coming months, and the big news is that it will transform from a traditional sedan into a high-riding SUV-like body style.

Recent patent images indicate the Crown will still retain much of its sedan silhouette, but its increased ride height and sloping roofline will give it much more of a rugged appeal as customers continue to leave the passenger car segment in favour of SUVs.

A new render by Kolesa based on the leaked patent images show what could be in store for the new Crown, and the future of sedans.

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Sporting a body style similar to the Peugeot 408 and Citroen C5 X, the new Crown will certainly stand out from the Camry and Corolla, but also doesn’t look like another version of the RAV4, Kluger or LandCruiser 300 Series.

And Toyota has designed the latest generation of Crown with international markets in mind, including Australia as the brand has trademarked the nameplate locally.

Crown has always been the flagship Toyota sedan, think Mercedes-Benz S-Class or BMW 7 Series, so this evolution of the model into a more SUV-like design could signal the future direction for the brand’s other passenger cars.

In recent years, Toyota has spun off some of its passenger car nameplates into SUV models, including the Yaris Cross and Corolla Cross, so morphing a traditionally sedan nameplate into a crossover isn’t exactly something new for the brand.

Exactly what will be powering the new Crown is still unknown, but reports are indicating the petrol-electric hybrid V6 from the Tundra is on the cards, as well as a 2.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid four-cylinder and a turbocharged 2.4-litre engine.