When I saw the news, my mood was very complicated. As a Toyota Crown fan, there are countless unforgettable memories in my mind, which are constantly stirring. It's really not a sitcom. For fans born in 1980s and 1990s, Toyota Crown is not only a car, but also a dream cars bearing childhood memories and the longing of that era.
12 generation crown was also the first domestic emperor.
Speaking of dream cars, I believe many post-80s and post-90s will definitely say Ferrari F50 or Lamborghini Diablo, or McLaren F 1 on their living room calendars. But those "magic cars" can hardly be seen in our daily life. They just "live" in our hearts in the form of photos. Most of the "magic cars" that really exist in real life after 8090 are "Tiger Head Running", fleetwood, Lincoln Lengthening and so on. Of course, there is also a relatively low-key car-Toyota Crown.
The first time I saw the crown-although it was not a luxury car, it was better than a luxury car.
The seventh emperor
For me, the first time I saw the Crown in my life was its seventh-generation model. In China in the 1990s, many enterprises and institutions bought the 7th generation Crown as a work car or a leadership car. This generation of crown first entered the Chinese mainland market in the early 1980s. With the reform and opening up gradually on the right track, the first batch of private car owners began to buy a large number of imported cars, and the seventh generation Crown also became an imported car that entered China earlier. The seventh generation Crown was an uncompromising representative of high-end luxury cars in the hearts of Chinese people at that time, and it also became an indelible classic car in the memory of many Chinese people.
Seventh Generation Crown Travel Edition
To be exact, the 7th generation Crown officially entered the China market in 1984. At that time, Crown, which entered China, was mainly equipped with 2.8L and 2.4L engines, and there were four models: Royal Car, Super Car, Super Luxury Edition and Ordinary Edition. Most of the engines are matched with 5-speed manual gearboxes, and some are equipped with 4-speed automatic gearboxes. Do you know how popular the seven generations of crowns were at that time? 17250 vehicles were imported in one year. That was 35 years ago, a few years after the reform and opening up. This number is unbelievable.
The eighth emperor
Time came in September, 1987, and Toyota launched the eighth generation crown. At that time, it was the heyday of Japan's bubble economy, and Japan's top-down thinking was inevitably a little inflated, as was the manufacturing of cars. At that time, Toyota also set a lofty goal of surpassing GM and becoming "the world's number one". In order to gain a share in the American luxury car market, Toyota also founded the Lexus brand at 1989. However, this does not affect Toyota to make the crown more perfect.
The eighth emperor
The eighth generation crown is also very popular in China market. As we know, in the late 1980s, China began to import a large number of Japanese cars, with an average of 5,300 Japanese cars per month, of which Toyota brand accounted for 34% and Crown accounted for 17%. Imported models are YS 120, MS 122 and MS 128. Among them, 199 1 imported a Crown model code-named JZS 133. Its life experience is very special. Why do you say that? Because the chassis of the eighth generation crown was used at that time, the appearance and engine of the ninth generation crown were used, and this crown called "133" by fans is also the favorite crown model of domestic fans.
Lay a good foundation-the crown shines gradually
Crown 133 (Japanese version)
Following the above, in the 1990s, the crown really began to appear in our lives, starting with "133". At that time, "Crown 133" imported from China used the Toyota logo before and after, and there was a striking crown logo on the hood. I remember that many adults once affectionately called it "Crown 3.0" because it was equipped with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine. The Super Salon model is matched with a 5-speed manual transmission, while the higher-end Royal Salon model is matched with a 4-speed automatic transmission. Code-named JZS 133, this generation of crown had a huge market in China at that time. Today, there are still many old car enthusiasts playing "Crown 133", and they enjoy it.
Crown 133 (Japanese version)
As I said before, this crown code-named "133" is more complicated. It uses the chassis of the eighth generation crown, but it is equipped with the appearance and power system of the ninth generation crown. However, 199 1 and 10 introduced the "authentic" ninth-generation crown, which is not as common as "133" in China. The ninth generation Crown models are divided into four-door hardtop version and higher-end MAJESTA series, among which four-door cars and four-door station wagons also continue to use the eighth generation Crown chassis. The overall style refers to the design elements of the first generation Lexus LS400 at that time, just to create a more luxurious and advanced temperament. This generation of Crown produced a total of 284,000 vehicles.
The tenth emperor
Following "133", the 10th generation crown landed in China market, and this generation crown is also the curtain call of imported crown in China market. At the end of 1990s, the 10th Crown was imported into the domestic market under the code name JZS 155, commonly known as "Crown 155". This brand-new Crown continues to be equipped with a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, equipped with rear air conditioning system, rear seat electric adjustment, rear multimedia control system and other very high-end avant-garde configurations at that time. The import of this generation of crowns stopped at 200 1, and the eleventh generation of crowns after that almost did not exist in the domestic market. It was not until 2005 that the 12th generation Crown began to be put into production in FAW Toyota, and the domestic road of Crown was officially opened.
The 1st 10 Crowne Plaza Hotel (Hong Kong Taxi)
It is worth mentioning that the famous Hong Kong taxi is the 10th generation crown. 1995, Toyota also introduced the Crown Comfort for the taxi market. A major feature is that its exterior rearview mirrors are located on both sides of the fender. In terms of power, the Crown Comfort is equipped with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine or a 2.0-liter LPG engine, matching a 4-speed automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual transmission. In order to control the cost and facilitate the maintenance, the 10 generation crown used as a taxi adopted the integral bridge non-independent rear suspension, and the original luxury equipment such as LCD instrument panel and leather seat were also cancelled.
Going to the altar-regarded as a Japanese masterpiece
The eleventh emperor
Skip the 1 1 generation crown that has no news in China, and 12 generation crown is regarded as "classic among classics" by players. This is also the first time that Toyota Crown is made in China, based on the 12 generation Crown Royal Series. At first, the domestic version only provided a 3.0-liter engine, canceled the direct injection technology, and then added a 2.5-liter power version. In order to adapt to the complicated road conditions in China, the chassis of the domestic Crown was increased by 10mm, and the four-wheel drive system, active steering headlights and night vision system were cancelled, but this did not affect the popularity of the 12 generation Crown in the domestic market.
The twelfth emperor
Why is the 12 generation crown so popular? Thanks to the excellent reputation accumulated by the "Old Crown" imported to China in 1980s and 1990s, the domestic Crown once surpassed this level of Audi A6L in the initial stage of listing, with a monthly sales volume of 2,992 vehicles, which also refreshed the sales list of luxury medium and large cars in that year. Only two months later, the order of Crown exceeded 10000. By the end of 2006, Crown had sold more than 60,000 vehicles, accounting for more than 30% of the luxury car market.
The twelfth emperor
In 2007, the annual sales volume of Crown reached 5,365,438+004 vehicles, and the market performance reached its peak, which also deified the 1st12nd generation Crown. The success of 12 generation crown is also inseparable from Toyota's pursuit of details. For example, the blades of the air conditioning outlet of the interior center console will automatically turn pages and blow air, and the excellent quality also makes various legends of "not bad to drive" spread in the rivers and lakes. However, in 2008, the crown of 12 generation gradually dissipated, and the annual sales volume dropped to 45,427 vehicles. Since 2009, the average monthly sales volume of Crown has even fallen below 3,000 vehicles, and even fell below 2,000 vehicles in individual months in the first half of the year. At this time, it is also the time for BBA to fully occupy the domestic luxury car market. As the old saying goes, "Ginger is still old and spicy", even if the crown is no better, it still loses to BBA.
The thirteenth emperor
In February 2008, the 13th generation crown was officially released in Japan. On June 5438+February 65438+February 04, 2009, the 13th Crown was officially introduced to China and listed. At that time, there were 9 Crown models with 3 displacements of 2.5L, 3.0L and 4.3L, and the price range was 326,800-899,500 RMB. The biggest highlight of this generation of crowns is undoubtedly the V8 version, which is undoubtedly the "diamond at the top of the crown". The domestic 13 generation crown is actually further upgraded on the basis of the overseas version of MAJESTA crown. However, there is no "magic change" in appearance and interior, and it still maintains the beautiful face value of the Japanese version.
The thirteenth emperor
Among them, there are domestic 13 generation Crown sports versions, which adopt the China Net format, and there are many Japanese sports kits, which are favored by domestic fans, especially JDM fans. Although 13 generation crown is not as good as 12 generation crown classic in the hearts of many fans, it is still a masterpiece suitable for playing JDM modification in the hearts of domestic fans. In 20 12, Toyota also made a small change to the domestic crown, canceling the 4.3L model and replacing it with the popular "big mouth" design. However, this change is quite a failure. It's really hard to change the original outstanding face value into "auto parts city style", and the monthly sales of less than 1000 also illustrates the problem well.
At the end of the song, people dispersed-the baton was passed to the Asian dragon.
The14th emperor made in China.
As the saying goes, "all things must come to an end", it once stood on the altar of the domestic luxury car market and was finally "put down" by a group of powerful men. The decline of the domestic crown has appeared since the late 13 generation, and it is no doubt that the crown really began to step down from the altar since the 14 generation. 201212 on February 25th, the 14th generation crown was officially listed in Japan. At that time, the Crown Family launched the Royal Series and the Athletes' Sports Series, and also released a brand-new hybrid vehicle.
The 1st14th champion athlete in Japanese rules.
At the beginning of its release, this generation of crowns was widely controversial because of its radical appearance, especially the exaggerated net of athletes' sports series, which looked like an inverted Christmas tree, so it was nicknamed "Christmas tree crown" by fans. Unfortunately, this generation of Japanese royal family has not all been introduced into the domestic market. The14th generation crown sold in the domestic market is the "magic change" version of the MAJESTA crown. It may be that manufacturers are worried that the Japanese version of the crown is too radical for Chinese people to accept. The design of the new car has been changed for the China market, and the design of the front face and rear is different from that of the Japanese version.
The14th emperor made in China.
However, after such painstaking localization, the market performance of the domestic 14th generation crown is not satisfactory. There are many reasons for failure. For car fans, its original appearance is not enough, which makes it almost completely different from the Japanese Crown family, and the later modification kit can not be shared with the Japanese version, which greatly reduces the charm of its products.
Domestic FAW Toyota Asia Dragon
For ordinary consumers, the constant exploration of traditional luxury brands in price makes Toyota Crown, as a non-luxury brand model, have no advantage at all. Coupled with being "in the same room" with Lexus, Crown has completely lost its product strength and brand awareness. On March 22nd, 20 19, FAW Toyota Asia Dragon, which originated from Toyota TNGA architecture, was officially listed. Is there room for two tigers in one mountain? Crown's exit from the China market is doomed.
Write it at the end
There is no doubt that Toyota Crown is the "first love" of several generations. Whether it is the seventh or eighth generation crown, the elegant ninth generation crown, or the twelfth or thirteenth generation crown suitable for all ages, it was once a memory of that era. The crown left the China market after the14th generation, which may make us miss the impure14th generation crown many years later. No matter how good the wine is, there will be a moment when it is finished, and no matter how classic the car is, there will be a day when it will be discontinued. Even though the crown is so good, it's a pity that its journey in China has finally come to an end and has become an indelible memory in the hearts of several generations.
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.