The Crown sedan is one of Toyota’s most famous and long-running models, but it’s about to undergo a dramatic metamorphosis. Sources from Japan say the 67-year old car is being transformed into an SUV to keep it relevant in a market obsessed with off-road, or off-road-styled, vehicles.

Citing three people familiar with Toyota’s plans, Reuters says the new SUV will be available in Japan, China and the U.S. starting in summer 2023, though leaked U.S. dealer paperwork we saw in February claimed America’s Toyota dealers would start selling a Crown model in October 2022.

Exact powertrain details are scarce, but the first to arrive according to the news report is a gasoline hybrid model, which will be offered in China and North America. The story claims a plug-in hybrid variant is intended for the Japanese domestic market, with no mention of U.S. availability.

Following a year later, in 2024, is a fully electric Crown SUV, though two of the sources Reuters spoke to say Toyota has yet to finalise export plans for the EV. But given the way global markets are embracing fully electric luxury cars, it would be a strange move not to send the EV outside of Japan.

Related: Toyota To Launch New Crown And Corolla Cross Hybrid In The U.S. This Year, According To Dealer Doc

Toyopet Crown was the first Toyota introduced to the U.S. market in 1958

Though the switch to an SUV format will expand the appeal of the Crown, whose sales have slipped in recent years, there is some good news for the small band of Toyota buyers who still love a traditional three-box sedan. It is claimed that Toyota will also introduce a new Crown sedan to sit alongside the new Crown SUV, though it’s unclear whether the saloon will also make it to the U.S. Both body styles will apparently be manufactured in Toyota City, Japan.

In its home market, the Crown is a premium luxury sedan available in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive forms and built around the same platform as the Lexus LC and LS, though the Crown name has been used as a sub-brand in China on various vehicles including a rebadged Toyota Highlander.

The Crown became the first Toyota model sold in the U.S. when it was introduced in 1958 as the Toyopet Crown, but Americans found the sedan slow and expensive next to domestic vehicles and the company withdrew it from the market three years later.

The JDM Toyota Crown is now in its fifth generation boasting a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout