Toyota to globally offer the Crown, its flagship car in Japan

Toyota would be offering its flagship model in Japan, the Crown, globally for the first time,

According to Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, the car could very well be their “crowning achievement."

The 16th generation Crown will go into production in January and will be offered in four different configurations: a hybrid crossover, a sedan that most closely resembles the Crowns seen in Japan, a sport-utility vehicle, and a wagon crossover dubbed the "estate," according to the manufacturer.

Toyota plans to sell 200,000 Crowns worldwide each year after the model goes on sale in 40 different countries, including the US.

The entry-level model costs 4.35 million yen in Japan.

About 10 million vehicles are sold annually worldwide by Toyota, the largest automaker in Japan. It has a popular Lexus luxury lineup with models starting at about $35,000 that are sold across the globe.

The history of the Crown, whose first sedan went on sale in Japan in 1955, parallels the development of Toyota and the modern Japanese economy. "Some day a Crown," was a tagline over the years. But the cars are not well-known abroad.

Toyoda, whose grandfather founder Kiichiro Toyoda came up with the car’s name name, called the Crown "the pride of Japan."