crown – Engine Icon

The Crown Vic Everyone Forgot—Before It Became a Ford Icon

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 02:31:36 +0000

When Ordinary Becomes Iconic

On the surface, the Ford Crown Victoria was as ordinary as it got. Yes, it has a V8 and rear-wheel drive, but it had zero performance intentions whatsoever. Besides, the reason it had those was that it followed the tried-and-tested recipe for traditional, full-size American sedans that rode on a ladder-frame chassis.

It’s a dinosaur, and a relic from days gone by. The fact that its chassis wasn’t changed from the Carter to the Obama Administration tells you just how old it was until it was ultimately retired in 2011. And yet, the ‘Vic is a well-loved car with legions of fans from coast to coast, and even around the world.

Of course, the most well-known version of the Crown Victoria was the one made from 1998 to 2011. That’s no surprise, given that every police and taxi agency had these in their respective fleets back in the day. It was the de facto cop car and taxicab, and its headlight pattern was permanently etched in everyone’s minds. It gets all the attention, yes, but there’s one version of the ‘Vic that we say deserves a little more love and appreciation.

Ford

The Aero Vics of the ’90s

The name Crown Victoria was first used in the ’50s as the Fairlane Crown Victoria. It was used for only two model years, from ’55 to ’56, and the name would return in 1980 as the top trim level on the now-downsized Panther-platform Ford LTD. In 1983, all full-size LTDs were renamed LTD Crown Victoria to differentiate them from the smaller midsize versions, a designation that lasted until the model was retired in 1991.

In 1992, the LTD prefix was dropped to usher in a new era of full-sized Ford sedans. Now just called Crown Victoria, it was a radical departure from its boxy predecessor. Carrying the internal code of EN53, its arrival came in at the right time, too, as General Motors overhauled its range of full-sized B-Body models that consisted of the Chevrolet Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, and the often-forgotten Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser.

Ford

A Gamble that Paid Off

The early ’90s were an interesting time for traditional large American cars. It was initially thought that both Ford and GM wouldn’t build these body-on-frame sedans past the ’90s, but sales proved strong enough through the ’80s to keep them on the road a little longer. Both companies made big gambles on design, each taking vastly different approaches.

In the case of the Crown Victoria, it picked up where the Taurus left off, with a smooth, aerodynamic design. It’s that very reason why these were called the Aero Vics, and design elements from its smaller sibling were pretty evident. It had a six-window arrangement, slim headlights, and the no-grille look that automakers tried to make a thing in the early-’90s for the sake of aerodynamics.

Despite criticisms of the rather blank-looking nose, the first full year of Aero Vics sold well for its class. If anything, its redesign was better received than the Chevrolet Caprice, although we think both look great now. Maybe it’s the rose-tinted glasses.

Ford

The Specs

Although the looks are very ’90s, its chassis dates back to 1979. The Panther platform was a response to GM’s downsized B-Body models from 1977. While the frame was, indeed, the same, Ford did more than enough changes to the chassis to make it drive and ride like a more contemporary vehicle. That same frame would continue to receive updates even after this generation was replaced.

Its new engine was a big deal, too. For the most part, the LTD Crown Victoria came with a 5.0-liter V8 with 150 hp in its final iteration. There was also a 5.8-liter option with, hold on tight, 180 hp, typically reserved for law enforcement applications. The new Crown Vic (as well as the Mercury Grand Marquis) benefitted from the new 4.6-liter Modular V8, and despite the smaller displacement, made more power right out of the box with 190 hp.

Okay, it’s not a lot of power by today’s standards, and it’ll easily be dusted off the line by a modern-day Honda Civic. But one has to remember that power ratings were far more conservative over 30 years ago. Still, if 190 hp wasn’t enough, a dual-exhaust option bumper that up to 210 hp. As for trims, there were base, LX, and, for 1992 only, the Touring Sedan. Of course, there was also the Taxi Package and Police Interceptor.

Ford

Constant Updates

Crown Victoria buyers who aren’t cab drivers or police officers are typically more conservative. Hence, in 1993, Ford added a grille to the car to address those who didn’t like the look of the first batch of models. At the rear, it also gained a reflector above the trim piece. Oh, airbags and cupholders were added, too.

However, there were far greater changes made for ’95. Its interior was now aligned with the Grand Marquis, and the dashboard would remain largely unchanged until the end of the Crown Victoria’s production. Towards the end of ’95, it also received a new four-spoke steering wheel that better integrated the airbag. The front grille was revamped, along with a much larger set of tail lights, a repositioned license plate holder, and new wheel designs.

’96 saw a minor bump in torque ratings. Both single- and dual-exhaust models received an additional 5 lb-ft, with ratings of 265 lb-ft and 275 lb-ft, respectively. Horsepower, however, remained the same at 190 hp for single-exhaust and 210 hp for dual-exhaust versions.

Ford

Why Was it (Mostly) Overlooked?

It’s not that the Aero Vics sold poorly. For the most part, it consistently sold over 100,000 units throughout its production from 1991 to 1997. Total production was estimated at 630,000 cars over its life. But perhaps the biggest problem of the first standalone Crown Victoria was the lore surrounding the Chevrolet Caprice from the same era.

The last (real) Caprice’s legacy was practically built upon the 5.7-liter LT1 engine. Despite being introduced later in its life, it boosted the car’s image, and the Impala SS further elevated its status. Law enforcement waxed lyrical about it too, relegating the Crown Victoria of the early to mid-90s as ‘the other cop car.’ The Aero Vic briefly had its moment in the sun in 1997, after the Caprice was discontinued a year prior, but by then, the newer, now more familiar version of the Crown Vic was about to arrive for 1998.

Still, if that version of the Crown Victoria flopped, the legacy of that name might be entirely different today. It wouldn’t be held in the same reverence, and there wouldn’t be repeated calls to bring it back. The Aero Vics walked so that the second-gen Vics could run and establish themselves as an icon.

With Ford planning to bring back sedans at some point, perhaps there’s room for a new-age Crown Victoria. For as long as it’s large and rear-wheel drive, we’re good with that – anything but bringing back that nameplate as a crossover.

Ford

View the 11 images of this gallery on the
original article

Source link

2025 Toyota Crown Signia Video Review

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:26:28 +0000

Published: August 25th, 2025

Source link

Global EV sales hit record 20.5 million in 2025 with BYD snatching the crown from Tesla

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 22:38:59 +0000

The global shift toward electric cars reached an important milestone last year. In 2025, drivers around the world bought 20.53 million new energy vehicles. This group includes battery-electric cars (BEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and fuel-cell vehicles. This is a 26% jump compared to the year before, proving that the appetite for EVs is still growing, even if the pace is starting to shift.

The numbers are big, but experts at TrendForce expect things to calm down a bit in 2026. Global EV sales are projected to reach 23.4 million units this year – still an increase, but the growth rate is expected to drop to 14%. A big reason for this change is China, which until now was the main engine driving the world’s electric car market. That market is maturing now, and the rapid-fire growth we saw in previous years is naturally slowing down.

Global EV sales rankings – source: TrendForce

China still holds the title of the world’s largest market for electric cars, accounting for about 66% of all sales in 2025. Its own growth rate sat at 24%, which was actually a little bit lower than the global average. On the other side of the map, Western Europe had a fantastic year. Sales there grew by nearly 30%, marking the best performance for the region since 2022.

The most shocking news from the 2025 rankings involves the battle at the top. For the first time, the Chinese brand BYD has overtaken Tesla to become the world leader in battery-electric car sales. BYD saw its sales grow by 25% over the year. Tesla, on the other hand, saw its sales slide by about 9%. Many analysts believe Tesla struggled because it did not release enough new or updated models to keep shoppers interested.

Tesla Model X – source: Tesla

Other Chinese companies are also making big moves. Geely climbed up to fourth place in the global rankings, doubling its market share from 3% to 6%. A lot of that success came from a small, affordable car called the Xingyuan, which costs less than 100,000 Chinese Yuan (about $13,800). Even the tech company Xiaomi is getting in on the action. It tripled its market share from 1% to 3% in just one year, landing it in eighth place globally.

Volkswagen is having a tougher time. Even though the German giant sold more cars overall, it lost ground in China. To fix this, Volkswagen launched a new brand specifically for Chinese drivers. They are also working closely with XPeng to build new cars together. We should see the first results of this partnership hit the streets real soon.

BYD is the new King of EV Sales

In the world of plug-in hybrids, BYD is still the king with a 31.5% market share. Unfortunately, even the king had a rough patch, seeing its first-ever drop in sales volume. Meanwhile, Li Auto, which used to be in second place, had a very difficult 2025. Its sales fell by 30%, and it dropped to fifth place in the hybrid rankings. To fight back, Li Auto is spending a lot of money on Artificial Intelligence to make its cars smarter and more high-tech.

2026 will bring some big changes to how people pay for electric cars. In China, the government is changing how it gives out discounts. Instead of a flat cash amount, the subsidy will be a percentage of the car’s price. This might make cheaper cars feel more expensive for buyers. In the United States, the situation is even more dramatic because federal subsidies for EVs have ended completely. Germany, on the other hand, is bringing back its subsidies and won’t care where the car was built, which is great news for brands imported from China.

BYD Han L – source: BYD

Building high-tech EVs is also getting more complicated – modern electric cars are basically computers on wheels, and they need a lot of memory chips. These chips usually only make up 1% to 5% of the total cost of building the car. If the price of critical components goes up or the supply runs low, it can cause big delays – something we have witnessed for the last few years. Automakers are now working harder than ever to make sure they have a steady supply of parts so they can keep their factory lines moving and their software updated.

2026 is shaping up to be a year of big changes. The EV markets around the world are maturing, and many automakers are bringing more affordable models to customers, while others are calling it quits on electric cars. The world is slowly getting divided with entire countries taking either a pro-EV stance or going back to fossil fuels – something we did not expect to ever happen.

Source

Source link

2025 Toyota Crown Signia SUV will replace Venza hybrid

admin — Sun, 18 Jan 2026 16:44:40 +0000

The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia coronates the latest crossover SUV in Toyota’s vast lineup, but where does the five-seat hybrid fit?

Launched on Tuesday on the eve of the 2023 Los Angeles auto show, the Crown Signia builds off the high-riding Toyota Crown sedan of the same name that was launched new for 2023. Both Crowns employ as their subjects a planetary-gear based hybrid system that runs rampant through the Toyota kingdom. The 2.5-liter inline-4 and hybrid transmission use two motors up front and a third motor powering the rear axle for standard all-wheel drive. Up to 80% of the power can be sent to the rear for launches or to help with towing up to 2,700 pounds, or the system can drive the front wheels exclusively for better fuel economy.

Total system output is 243 hp and Toyota estimates the Crown Signia will get 36 mpg combined. The same system used in the Toyota Crown sedan puts out 236 hp and has a 41-mpg combined EPA rating.

But the Crown sedan can also be had with Toyota’s uprated Hybrid Max, which pairs a 2.4-liter turbo-4 and front and rear motors to make 340 hp, and it uses a 6-speed direct-shift automatic transmission. That’s not to be confused (in theory) with the i-Force Max used in Toyota’s trucks, including the Toyota Tundra and the forthcoming Toyota Tacoma, as well as the Toyota Sequoia three-row full-size SUV.

The two Crowns and three trucks have all launched in the past two years, as has the Toyota Grand Highlander, a larger, roomier take on the Highlander three-row crossover SUV.

The Grand Highlander also comes exclusively with the Hybrid Max 2.4-liter turbo-4, but it’s tuned to make 362 hp. It would make sense for Toyota to offer the Hybrid Max on the Crown Signia SUV, but it might wait for the 2026 model year.

Toyota didn’t disclose full specs for the Crown Signia, but it confirmed that the Venza hybrid will be discontinued following the 2024 model year. That marks an abrupt end to the second coming of the Toyota Venza, which launched in 2009 as a wagon-like crossover perhaps ahead of its time until 2015, then was resurrected in 2021 as a Lexus-like midsize crossover hybrid.

The 2025 Crown Signia will slot in the Venza’s place, with a long and low roofline similar to that of a wagon, but riding higher in that Crown way. It appears to be much larger than the Venza, however, and measures out nearly the same as the Toyota Highlander three-row crossover. At 194.1 inches long and with a wheelbase of 112.2 inches, it’s 7.5 inches longer than the Venza but just 0.8 inches shorter than the Highlander. The wheelbase is identical to the Highlander, and 6.3 inches longer than the Venza. It’s shorter in height, however: at 63.6 inches tall, the Crown Signia is 2.3 inches and 4.5 inches shorter in height than the Venza and Highlander, respectively.

That should make for a roomy rear seat passenger area as well as a large cargo hold. The only spec Toyota shared in terms of space was that the 60/40-split rear seats fold flat and an “extension panel” enables cargo room for items that are 6.5 feet long.

Toyota insulates it from the outside with acoustic front side glass, a dash cover, and a sound-absorbing engine cover.

Sold in XLE and Limited trims, the Toyota Crown Signia comes with a hands-free power tailgate, heated front seats with power adjustments, a heated steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as wireless device charging and five USB ports. Limited models upgrade from inefficient 19-inch alloy wheels to even less efficient 21-inch alloys, and the feature set includes a panoramic roof, quilted leather seats, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear outboard seats, and front and rear parking sensors.

Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control.

Nearly all seven Toyota crossover and SUV models will be sold as hybrids, with only the aging 4Runner and its 4.0-liter V-6 as the hybrid exception. It’s expected to be redesigned next year, and expect it to come with either Max hybrid powertrain.

With the launch of the redesigned 2025 Toyota Camry sedan as all-hybrid, the 2025 Crown Signia represents the 13th hybrid model in Toyota’s lineup, making the brand the runaway leader in hybrid production and sales, all started from the humble success of the Toyota Prius. Yet, Toyota only has one full battery electric model in the underwhelming and low-volume Toyota bZ4X.

Made in Japan, the 2025 Crown Signia arrives in the U.S. in summer 2024. Expect pricing then.

Source link