If Barbie were a real, Japanese woman in her 50′s, then she might be
driving this polarizing pink luxury sedan from Toyota. That’s right. The
world’s most conservative car company is now offering their most
conservative domestic granny-mobile in Electric Fuchsia! And no, we’re
not kidding. Why would we make this up?
The Toyota Crown is a fullsize RWD luxury sedan, similar in stature
to the Lincoln Towncar. Corporate-types love the Crown for its smooth
ride, and indifferently upscale image. Taxi/livery companies use it for
the same reasons, and the Crown also serves as the preferred
transportation device of the Bingo Brigade. Although, Japanese seniors
probably play more Mahjong than bingo. At any rate, this car has a
stodgy, forgettable image in Japan. And Toyota’s chairman wants to
change that.
Unveiled last year, the all-new 14th generation Toyota Crown made its
public debut wearing a hot pink leisure suit. The idea was to attract
attention to a new model that nobody really cared about. Akio Toyoda had
previously told his designers to start taking risks, and create more
“polarizing designs”. After seeing this…Pink Panther Special…it’s safe
to say they took him literally.
The redesigned Crown features a massive shield-like grille, flanked
by imposing HID headlights, and subtly flared wheel arches. The interior
is as nice as any U.S.-spec Lexus, and it can even be ordered with
quilted leather seats, like you’ll find in a Bentley. Power comes from a
gas-powered V6, or a hybrid system. And there’s an AWD version too.
Overall, the Crown seems like a pretty nice car.
For those who’ve thrown subtlety to the wind, Toyota has decided to
build a handful of cars that wear the same retina-searing color as the
2012 Crown show car. From September 1st – 30th Japanese customers will
be able to order their very own Pepto-bismol Pink 2014 Toyota Crown
Athlete Pink Special Edition. Initially intended as a PR stunt, the show
car’s unique Electric Fuchsia over white leather combination has
apparently caught on. We assume that a recent spike in Japanese Mary Kay
sales had something to do with it.
