While there aren’t any convertibles or open-top vehicles within the Toyota vary proper now, the Japanese automaker has produced two one-off topless variations of its range-topping crossovers.
The first is a bespoke Century SUV developed for the victory procession for the primary Grand Sumo event of the 2024 season.
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Although it’s typically referred by the corporate and its representatives as a convertible, it’s extra accurately an open-top parade automobile, as there isn’t a roof mechanism or any sort of add-on enclosure.
In addition to eradicating the roof, in addition to the B-, C-, and D-pillars, Toyota’s engineers have taken out the rear seats. The seat space is changed by a raised, carpeted foot relaxation, whereas a padded seating space is fitted the place a folding roof mechanism or parcel shelf may go.
The rear of the open-top Century SUV has a sedan-style boot lid married to the SUV’s tail-light association.
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In a Toyota Times video (under) detailing the genesis of open-air Century SUV, the corporate additionally debuted a one-off Toyota Crown Crossover “convertible”.
It’s unclear what the aim of this different one-off automobile is as a result of, sadly, this author’s Japanese is proscribed to ordering ramen and apologising profusely for not being to talk the language.
Like the open-top Century SUV, the bespoke Crown Crossover has been free of its roof, B-, C-, and D-pillars, and most of its rear tailgate. Once once more there doesn’t look like a folding roof mechanism.
Unlike the Century, passengers within the rear of the Crown Crossover sit within the automobile’s common seats.
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According to Simon Humphries, Toyota’s chief designer and chief branding officer, it was essential these two newest open-air fashions appear like they have been designed to be convertibles from the very starting.
It was equally essential, particularly to chairman Akio Toyoda, to keep away from having tell-tale indicators of a late-stage open-top conversion, akin to stubs from the sawn-off pillars.
Although each the the Century SUV and Crown Crossover share their names with Toyota’s massive rear-wheel drive sedans, each crossover variants are literally primarily based on the front- and all-wheel drive TNGA-Ok structure that underpins every little thing from the Camry by to the Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus LM.
This isn’t the primary time Toyota has lopped the highest off a Century. In 2019, it produced a particular open-top model of the third-generation Century sedan for the Japanese royal household.
The firm additionally produced a bespoke open-air model of the first-generation Mirai hydrogen gas cell sedan for Pope Benedict’s go to to Japan in 2019.
Toyota has additionally produced quite a few one-off “convertible” conversions of earlier Crown and Lexus fashions for parades and different festivities.
https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/motoring/toyota-crown-and-century-crossovers-go-topless-c-13497308