Toyota has found great success with Land Cruiser lineup, which has emerged one of the most celebrated 4X4s in automotive history. Toyota is on the verge of launching a smaller Land Cruiser that will slot below Land Cruiser Prado, which will make Land Cruiser badge more accessible for masses.
Mini Toyota Land Cruiser Launch
While the name of this SUV is not yet confirmed, it is highly likely to take on the Land Cruiser name with a suffix. Similar to what we get with Land Cruiser Prado. Where codenames are concerned, it will get LC with a suffix in numbers similar to LC300 (Land Cruiser) and LC250 (Land Cruiser Prado).
Towards the end of 2021, Toyota teased something called Compact Cruiser EV as part of their Battery EV Briefing. It had an overall silhouette similar to that of a now discontinued FJ Cruiser. Towards the end of 2023, speculations flooded that Toyota is working on a new Land Cruiser which will be its smallest and the most affordable model in this range yet.
This was big news for global automotive community as Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the most respected and celebrated badges in the world. Making a smaller and affordable Land Cruiser will be a bold and smart move which is highly likely to prove profitable for the brand. While the concept was an EV, rumour mill suggests there will be ICE versions of this vehicle as well.
Launch was speculated to be around 2025 and there haven’t been any real developments suggesting it could be true. This may mean that launch is postponed or the development is leak-proof. The probable markets for this vehicle would be Middle East, Europe, Japan, North America and others.
What to expect?
Mini Toyota Land Cruiser could measure around 4.5m to 4.6m in length, around 1.8m in width and pack around 2.7m of wheelbase. To keep the costs low, Toyota is rumoured to be positioning Mini Land Cruiser on the cost effective IMV 0 platform like Hilux Champ, rather than GA-F platform underpinning LC300 and LC250.
Under the bonnet, Mini Land Cruiser could be packing an IC engine with a mild Hybrid setup as well as a fully electric powertrain to be a versatile offering. Toyota has not confirmed a launch timeline of this vehicle. India launch might be on the cards too, considering just how much the market has evolved.
