Toyota's U.S. arm published a Facebook post on Tuesday that hints at the Land Cruiser nameplate's return to these shores.
The post included a video showing vintage Land Cruiser badges, in addition to the terse message, “Did you really think we’d be gone for long? The legend returns.”
The Land Cruiser nameplate bowed out of the U.S. after 2021 while the rest of the world received a redesigned 300-series generation for 2022. The 300-series Land Cruiser is the twin to the latest Lexus LX that reached the U.S. for 2022.
Toyota's Facebook post comes less than a week after Automotive News reported that Toyota is considering its next Land Cruiser Prado for sale in the U.S., possibly marketed as a Land Cruiser.
Facebook post by Toyota USA - June 2023
The current Land Cruiser Prado was never sold in the U.S., though it is closely related to the outgoing Lexus GX. Lexus has redesigned the GX for 2024, and a new Land Cruiser Prado twin to the new GX is waiting in the wings.
Land Cruisers and Land Cruiser Prados have traditionally been closely related, though Toyota has differentiated Prado versions by giving them a more serious off-road focus. The current Prado features additional driving modes that are specifically suited to various terrain, and this is likely to be the case with the new generation, judging by the new Overtrail and Overtrail+ modes featured in the 2024 GX. The GX is also equipped with full-time four-wheel drive, a 2-speed transfer case, and a Torsen limited-slip center differential as standard, so it's still meant as an off-roader.
The new GX, and thus also the new Land Cruiser Prado, uses Toyota's TNGA-F body-on-frame platform, which is also found in the 300-series Land Cruiser and its Lexus LX twin, as well as the Sequoia SUV and the latest Toyota Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks.
