Publication: Motor Fan
Format: Road Test
Date: June 1971
Authors (roundtable): Hiroshi Takahashi, Hajime Mizutsu, Kazumi Yotsumoto, Osamu Hirao, Atsushi Watari, Kenji Higuchi, Yasuo Ishikawa, Katsuzo Kageyama, Kunitaka Furutani, Hiroshi Okazaki, Taizo Tateishi, Toshio Omura, Yasuhei Oguchi, Takeshi Toba, Akira Yamamoto, Masahide Sano, Minoru Onda, Yasunobu Tomizuka, Motor Fan Editorial Staff (uncredited)

Meeting Diversified Demand

Magazine: First, we’d like to begin with the design objectives.

Takahashi: The Cedric underwent its first full model change in the autumn of 1965, and was revised again in the autumn of 1968. The previous Gloria, meanwhile, was released in the spring of 1965, so it had been about five and a half years since either car’s last major change. Market research over that period showed that this class had been primarily for business and corporate use–what you might call formal use–but more recently, private owners have begun using these cars as well. Even in corporate use, about 80% are now driven by the owners themselves.

Publication: Car Graphic
Format: Group Test
Date: December 1971
Author: Shotaro Kobayashi

Comparison Test: Nissan Cedric Hardtop GX vs. Toyota Crown Hardtop Super Saloon

When one hears the names Crown or Cedric, the image that most readily comes to mind is a black company car gliding along at an unhurried pace with a senior executive in the rear seat–or else the internationally infamous “kamikaze” taxi. This not-entirely-flattering image was first shattered some four years ago with the introduction of the Owner Deluxe, marketed under the catchphrase “The White Crown.” It was then decisively overturned by the launch of the Hardtop in the autumn of 1968. With that, the Crown secured a firm foothold among affluent owner-drivers seeking a truly personal luxury car.