The return of the Land Cruiser to the North American market is officially teased, but not confirmed, even in name. All Toyota sent us was a single image, a headline, and three sentences.
‘Legend Reborn: All-New Toyota Rugged SUV Is on the Horizon’
“With 65 years of heritage, you can choose to slow down or reinvent yourself. We chose the latter. Stay tuned for more updates.”
Of course, this is the first official teaser of the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser. And, it reveals a few things we already suspected, and find a bit odd.
The Land Cruiser Returns
The recent reveal of the 2024 Lexus GX 550 got everyone excited, me included — even as a GX 460 owner. But, to me, it seemed like a great replacement for the Land Cruiser 200 Series and not the GX 460. Think wide box versus narrow, tall, curvy design.
Traditionally, the GX rides on a chassis shared with the Prado and 4Runner. The GX 550, however, shares its chassis with the latest Sequoia, Tundra, and Land Cruiser 300 (for the world market, but not coming to the U.S. market).
This latest teaser shows a very similar silhouette to the GX 550, with its raised body line along the windows, versus the straight one found on the world market LC 300. The image confirms the rumors that the new U.S. Land Cruiser will be an iteration of the new GX. It’s yet to be seen what the new 4×4 SUV will officially be called, and if it will carry the Prado name at all — which would be a first for the U.S. market.
The teaser image is clear in that it shows a classic Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 nose to nose with the yet-to-be-named or revealed Toyota SUV. The new machine looks way too big to be an FJ Cruiser replacement, but it will no doubt carry on the Land Cruiser heritage in North America.
Oh, and this new Toyota SUV will have a gas engine — as evident from the tailpipe — so it won’t be a part of the quickly developing Toyota EV lineup.
