From Corona to Crown, Tiara to Cressida, and Corolla to Camry, Toyota’s legacy of naming vehicles after a variety of crowns is steeped in tradition, and locally traces its roots to the Tiara pick-up assembled in South Africa at the then Motor Assemblies plant from 1963.
In the 1960s, Japanese automakers began seeing the positive effects of conducting business in other countries. As exports of Japanese automobiles increased from 35,000 units in 1961 to 90,000 units in 1963, sentiment for full-scale exports became increasingly favourable.
At the time, most Japanese automobile exports were knockdown exports, designed to secure market presence in response to the domestic production policies of importing countries. In the early 1960s, Toyota conducted knockdown exports to countries including Mexico, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, and South Africa.
This came at a time when South Africa imposed restrictions on importing fully built vehicles, encouraging the complete-knockdown format instead. In 1962, a distributor agreement was entered into with the trading company Toyopet Commercials (Pty) Ltd. In 1963, exports of the Stout began, which were to be assembled by Motor Assemblies, Ltd. In Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
While the Stout enjoyed some success (garnering 3% of the light commercial market at the time), Toyota leapt into the top ranks of the segment in 1963 when the (Corona-derived) Toyopet Tiara was introduced, becoming the second vehicle to be marketed by Toyota in South Africa.
Toyota moved into fourth place in the commercial vehicle segment when the Corona 1500 pick-up (designed specifically for South Africa) was also released in 1964.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The Tiara and Corona not only heralded a new era of affordability in the commercial, but the nameplates also introduced South Africans to Toyota’s regal naming convention for many of the Toyota cars we would come to love over the years.
It all began in 1955 with the introduction of the Toyopet Crown, which has served as the mainstream sedan from Toyota in the Japanese market throughout its existence and is the longest-running passenger-car nameplate affixed to any Toyota model.
The Crown’s history and reputation have given it prominence in the Toyota line-up. It is one of the few current Toyota models to carry a unique insignia – a stylised crown emblem on the grille and steering wheel. It also inspired the names of many smaller models that would follow.
Introduced as a companion to the Crown, the Corona takes its name from the Latin word for ‘crown’. Smaller than the Crown sedan, the Corona was considered a “robust and approachable” car that helped establish the Toyota brand as an automotive powerhouse alongside the Tiara in South Africa.
First introduced in Japan in 1966, the evergreen Corolla (meaning ‘small crown’ in Latin) is another Toyota model that derives its name from the crown naming convention.
Several other popular Toyotas draw their names from here, including Cressida (derived from the Greek word for gold) and Camry (derived from ‘kanmuri’, a Japanese phrase meaning ‘little crown’).
CROWN TO REIGN IN SOUTH AFRICA
Now in its 16th generation, the Toyota Crown has finally been confirmed for South Africa as part of the brand’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) offensive. The new car, revealed in July 2022, will first make landfall here in Crossover guise. However, it is also offered in Sport, Sedan, and Estate body styles elsewhere, all built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA-K) modular platform also used for the new Lexus RX.
Although the luxury Crown flagship will initially be released in limited numbers, sources indicate that two derivatives – a 2.5 E-Four CVT and a ‘Bi-Tone’ version – will be offered at R891,400 and R899,600, respectively.
The Crown will be equipped with a hybrid system that features a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre petrol engine and a newly developed bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery. The system’s total power output is 176 kW, and the combined fuel consumption is an impressive 4.4 litres per 100 km. Additionally, the drive is transmitted to all four wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
LAST WORD
Six decades since the first Toyopet Tiara rolled off the Motor Assemblies production line in Durban, Toyota’s reign as the country’s most loved brand endures, as the “Crown for a new era” is ready to be ordained to lead the brand’s luxury offensive in South Africa.
