Toyota is set to expand the Land Cruiser brand to two new models that, for the first time, will not be based on a ladder frame, and will include a pickup and a 7-seat crossover.
According to a report by the Japanese site Best Car, both models will offer electric versions alongside hybrids as part of Toyota’s effort to provide each market with its preferred powertrain.
The Land Cruiser is one of Toyota’s strongest brands, alongside the Corolla. For years, it encompassed three series under the same name, of which the 250 is currently sold locally, the larger 300 is available via personal import, and previously the rugged 70. Earlier this year, Toyota unveiled the Land Cruiser FJ, a downsized version that retains off-road ambitions and a ladder frame, now officially intended only for markets in Japan and Asia. Expanding the brand to additional models will also help Toyota compete with the growing Chinese manufacturers, who do not have such long-lasting and highly reputable models.
Rumors about an electric pickup in a monocoque configuration being developed by the company have been circulating for several years, and recently they were even confirmed by senior executives at Toyota USA, a key target market for the new model, where its Tacoma and Tundra pickups are already sold.
The new pickup will be smaller, about 5 meters long, and will be able to compete with the wave of smaller and more affordable pickups from Ford, Ram, and Hyundai. Electric and hybrid powertrains will allow it to be sold in Europe as well.
The pickup will not stand alone: On the same platform, a 7-seater crossover will also be built, with two powertrain options as well. The expected name: Land Cruiser Se.
In 2021, Akio Toyoda, then CEO and now chairman of the company, unveiled a series of future electric concept models in an effort to show investors that Toyota would not be left behind in the electric revolution. Some models did enter production, like the bZ4x, while others ultimately received only a gasoline engine, like the Land Cruiser FJ.
The list also included a pickup under the code EPU and a future crossover, referred to as the FT3-e. Now, both models are expected to reach mass production in 2027-8. Both will, of course, receive advanced all-wheel drive, although likely without a low-range gear, and with reduced performance compared to the "true" Land Cruisers.