But will it be the real deal, or something else rebadged as a Land Cruiser?
Toyota USA has taken to its social media platforms to share great news – the Toyota Land Cruiser is returning to America!
Across various platforms, the tagline differs. On Facebook, the brand says, “Did you really think we'd be gone for long? The legend returns,” while on Instagram, the brand says there's “Nothing better than a comeback story. The Legend Returns.” But the teasers don't show much aside from a video cycling through classic Land Cruiser badges.
So the question is, are we going to get the real Land Cruiser 300 – which is mechanically identical to the Lexus LX and was allegedly replaced in America by a more spacious, more upmarket Toyota Sequoia – or will we get something else entirely?
Last week, a rumor surfaced that the all-new Lexus GX would form the foundation of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado in other markets like Japan, Africa, and Australia – common practice for previous generations, so nothing particularly new.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1455319785281743
However, the rumor alleged that the Prado suffix would be dropped, and the Toyota version of the GX would return to America as simply the Land Cruiser.
Given Toyota's newest announcement, this theory may hold some water after all. We imagine that with the first teaser shown, there'll be more details imminently. But, on the other hand, Toyota took months to eventually reveal the GR Corolla with a teaser campaign that felt like it went on for years.
While the Land Cruiser nameplate has a certain level of prestige to it that fans will be clamoring for, we have to wonder whether Toyota might be oversaturating the off-road segment.
The LC300 wasn't brought here because it would've been way too expensive and sales numbers of the Land Cruiser had dwindled, but the new Sequoia received the same TNGA-F platform, turbocharged and hybridized V6 engine, and interior technology, all in a more palatable large-size experience tailored to American buyers.
So if the Land Cruiser 300 came to America, there'd be a certain element of cannibalization between these two models and the Lexus LX.
If, however, the rumors of the Lexus GX forming the foundation of the American Land Cruiser prove to be true, Toyota faces another conundrum. There's a new 2024 Toyota 4Runner inbound soon, which will also use the TNGA-F platform, and is traditionally similarly hardcore to the GX. Having a GX-based Toyota off-roader might step on the new 4Runner's toes.
Our last hypothesis is that the GX-based Land Cruiser will maintain the V6 powertrain of the GX, while the 4Runner will downgrade to the turbo and turbo-hybrid four-cylinders found in the all-new Toyota Tacoma. This would ensure differentiation as far as powertrains go and allow Toyota a broad spread of price ranges for various off-road products. Whether the overlap between them would be too great, however, remains to be seen.
Keyword: IT'S BACK! Toyota Teaser Confirms Land Cruiser's Return To America