Toyota announced today it has completely redesigned the "Crown Royal Saloon" and "Crown Athlete" series and added a hybrid model to the product lineup.The 13th-generation Crown unveiled today retains the sense of poise and reliability that characterizes the Crown series, which has earned a reputation as the leader among luxury vehicles in Japan over the more than half a century since its debut in 1955. At the same time, the new Crown adopts advanced technologies to create luxury sedans that provide performance at the world's highest levels. While the hybrid version delivers outstanding cruising and environmental performance, all three series benefit from the excellent vehicle stability and preventive safety performance offered by VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management). The Crown Hybrid adopts a TFT (thin film transistor) LCD Finegraphic Meter - the first of its kind, which features excellent visibility and provides clear information to the driver. In addition to digital and analog speedometers, a hybrid system status indicator shows output and energy recovery.

Other advanced features include a Pre-crash Safety System that can determine - as a world's first - whether the driver's eyes are properly open. Such features, together with an integrated navigation system, result in one of the world's highest levels of driver support. The Royal Saloon and Athlete series go on sale in Japan today and the "Crown Hybrid" will be launched in Japan on May 6.