In the grand scheme of automotive things, Toyota has asserted its powerhouse status over and over again this year. Especially in America, they are trying to dominate with help from many releases. And among them, there are quite a few superstars.
For example, the Japanese automaker quickly brought the 2023 Prius 'Hybrid Reborn' to the United States, especially its 220-hp Prime plug-in hybrid version. Then the 2023 Corolla Cross Hybrid replaced the ousted C-HR subcompact CUV, the entire Corolla family got treated to a Nightshade, and the first hero of the year appeared in the form of the first-ever 2024 Grand Highlander three-row family crossover SUV.
A host of GR special editions (GR Corolla Circuit, GR86 Trueno, GR Supra 45th Anniversary) later and following the introduction of the second superstar of the year – the 326-hp 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro i-Force Max hybrid mid-size pickup truck, now it feels like people are staring into the blank trying to recompose their thoughts after so many significant novelties. But the Rising Sun carmaker is not letting down on the pressure and is certainly not throttling down either, as they recently teased the return of the Land Cruiser nameplate to the United States.
Because there are no such things as coincidences in the automotive field, they used the same marketing ploy for the European Land Cruiser – making everyone and their mother think that it's not the massive J300 Land Cruiser coming to North America but instead the smaller Land Cruiser Prado sibling. Tentatively dubbed as the Toyota Land Cruiser 250 by the rumor mill, it is pretty obviously one of the biggest Toyota announcements for the second part of the year – so no one is surprised that it also became a darling of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
The good folks over at the MV Auto info channel on YouTube (you need the CC option to be activated for the English translation to kick in) have imagined a new Land Cruiser SUV for a second time. While the initial CGI work gave it looks that did not stray too far from the potential J300 Land Cruiser inspiration while still being based on the all-new third-generation 2024 Lexus GX 550, this time around, the resident pixel master dared to innovate a little more. As such, the new front end is inspired by recent Toyota concepts and feels more squared and rugged; the profile gives away the GX underpinnings, and the rear is also fresher than summer fruits because of the interesting LED taillight treatment.
So, what do you think – will Toyota dare to innovate the styling of the Land Cruiser 250 (Prado) just like Lexus did with the latest GX, or will they follow a more traditional route and simply use the underpinnings with inspiration taken directly from the larger J300 Land Cruiser forbidden fruit?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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