Japanese automaker creates collector's item from Crown sedan seats; exclusivity in Japan will be defined by lottery system
Toyota decided to transpose the refinement of its most traditional sedan beyond the roads. In partnership with Itoki, a Japanese manufacturer of corporate furniture, the automaker launched a luxury office chair built from the front seat of the Toyota Crown. The item, which preserves the vehicle’s original electrical features, arrives on the Japanese market with a collector’s price: about 550 thousand yen, the equivalent of R$ 17,5 thousand in direct conversion.
Unlike handmade adaptations, the model was developed by the interior subsidiary Toyota Boshoku. The project required engineering solutions to adapt the center of gravity of an automotive seat — naturally heavier and more inclined — to the swivel base of an office chair, ensuring stability and ergonomics for the user during working hours.
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The piece maintains all the motorized controls present in the car, including recline, height, lumbar support and front tilt adjustments. To power the motors and the integrated ventilation and heating systems, the frame conceals an internal rechargeable battery, eliminating the need for exposed cables around the office.
One of the attention-grabbing details in the design is the maintenance of the original seat belt buckle. In the new context, the component was converted into a USB-C port, allowing the charging of smartphones and other mobile devices.
The product is part of “The Crown Collection”, the brand’s high-end line of accessories. Production will be restricted to just 70 units, sold exclusively at the brand’s premium dealerships in Japan. Due to the expected high demand for exclusivity, Toyota will adopt a lottery system to define who can purchase the seat.
Although the price is high, standing at the level of ergonomic chairs from international brands such as Herman Miller, Toyota is betting on the emotional value and loyalty of Crown model enthusiasts to sell out quickly.
