Toyota on Thursday released a pair of teaser photos that show a new Land Cruiser headed to U.S. showrooms, likely as a 2024 model.
It comes just weeks after Toyota released a video showing vintage Land Cruiser badges and the tagline “The legend returns.”
The new teaser photos show a silhouette of the U.S.-bound Land Cruiser, and one photo contrasts it with an original FJ40 Land Cruiser from six decades ago.
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, but it isn't the Land Cruiser that will reach U.S. showrooms.
Toyota Land Cruiser teaser
Instead, the Land Cruiser bound for the U.S. will be an even more rugged SUV related to the redesigned 2024 Lexus GX. This is indicated in the latest teaser photos that show a rise in the beltline after the B-pillar, which is a design trait shared with the GX but not the 300-series Land Cruiser sold overseas. The U.S.-bound Land Cruiser will be marketed overseas as a redesigned Land Cruiser Prado.
There are rumors the U.S.-bound Land Cruiser will feature retro cues that won't be used for the Land Cruiser Prado sold overseas. One example is round headlights, inspired by the design of the FJ40 and similar to what Toyota did with the FJ Cruiser from recent decades.
Underpinning the vehicle will be 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. It's also found in the Lexus GX, where it is equipped with full-time four-wheel drive, a 2-speed transfer case, a Torsen limited-slip center differential, and off-road-focused Overtrail and Overtrail+ modes. Look for a similar setup for the U.S.-bound Land Cruiser and its Land Cruiser Prado twin.
