Toyota Land Cruiser comes to the American market with this different design

Toyota recently confirmed the return of the Land Cruiser to the US market. Now, according to rumors, this SUV will have a retro design inspired by the 70 series.

It was 2020 when Toyota announced that it will end the production of Land Cruiser in the North American region from 2021. Not long ago, the Japanese automaker recently announced the return of this popular SUV to the US market. Of course, Toyota did not leave anything but a short and private teaser to the enthusiasts, and this topic has opened the chapter of speculation about it. According to the rumors, Toyota is going to launch the Land Cruiser with a retro off-road-oriented design like the new generation Lexus GX, and there are even unofficial images showing this design for the Land Cruiser.

The return of Toyota Land Cruiser to the American market with a nostalgic retro design

Lexus, the luxury subsidiary of Toyota, recently unveiled the new generation Lexus GX model 2024, which attracted attention due to its design transformation compared to the previous generation. Now it seems that Toyota is looking to bring the Land Cruiser back to the US market with a different retro design. Sources inside Toyota have also claimed that Toyota will bring a new Land Cruiser Prado to the United States with design elements from older versions of this SUV.

The Land Cruiser, whose roots go back to the 1950s, was originally a military vehicle, but after some time, it found the role of a conventional road car among Toyota’s product line. This off-road military origin can be seen prominently from its 40-80 series, before the SUV took on a conventional SUV design. Now that Toyota has designed the new generation of Lexus GX following the trend of retro cars, it can launch Land Cruiser inspired by the design of previous generations, especially the 70 series, to the American market.

Sources say that the new version of Toyota Land Cruiser for the American market will not be introduced as a high-end luxury product since it aims to return to its roots. Toyota had previously noted that with the Forerunner, it is not targeting the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler segment, and based on this claim of the Japanese automaker, it may be possible to assume that it is targeting the Land Cruiser for this segment. The electric FJ Cruiser concept is also likely to be another sign of Land Cruiser returning with a classic vibe.

Drive media also reported that the US version of the Toyota Land Cruiser will be available in two high-end trims, similar to the 2024 Toyota Tacoma. Also, according to this media report, the new Toyota Land Cruiser for the American market is powered by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged i-Force Max hybrid engine that can produce 326 horsepower and 630 Nm of torque. The non-hybrid version of this Japanese SUV is also offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox, which will be more suitable for off-road use. The fact that this engine is intended for Land Cruiser is probably due to the segment in which this SUV will be placed.