Toyota has been great at maintaining hype around its leading brands this year, especially in the United States. And their strategy is far from concluding, by the way.
Since the start of 2023, the Japanese automaker introduced significant and minor models to the North American region – from the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid to the expanding Nightshade family and from the Corolla Cross Hybrid to the N400 Tacoma or 2024 Land Cruiser superstars.
Lexus wasn't too far behind, either, premiering the all-new, first-ever TX as the posher counterpart of the newly-introduced 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander eight-seat three-row crossover SUV or the J250-based Lexus GX. However, the spotlight remains on what the namesake Toyota brand is doing, as the new Land Cruiser (also called Prado or 250 in some regions to avoid confusion with the larger J300 Land Cruiser that arrived in 2021) is rumored to spawn a baby SUV.
It is all Toyota's 'fault,' of course. The commotion started during the international presentation of the light-duty 2024 Land Cruiser at home in Japan when the officials sat on stage with a couple of SUVs to show their differing front fascia with round or squared headlights. Behind them, on the big screen, two shadowy silhouettes were portraying an upcoming electric SUV and something just as rugged as the Land Cruiser but smaller.
Speculation has run rampant across the rumor mill about the potential introduction of a compact Land Cruiser version to go alongside the J250-series mid-size Land Cruiser (plus Lexus GX) and the full-size J300 Land Cruiser (plus Lexus LX) and form one big, happy, off-road focused family. If that happens, we might as well see Toyota deliver a spiritual successor to the retro-styled FJ Cruiser, after all.
However, it won't necessarily come with direct lineage if we are to trust the rumor mill because there's a new name on the line – at least according to the latest reports. As such, it seems that Toyota is preparing a 2025 Land Hopper model in the compact field to be the main attraction at the company's booth during the upcoming Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.
This new event takes place from October 26 to November 5 at Tokyo Big Sight - Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the organizer, decided this year they will cast a wider net beyond automakers by rebranding the well-known Tokyo Motor Show as a mobility venue. Anyway, it remains to be seen if Toyota indeed premieres their alleged 2025 Land Hopper SUV there, as nothing is official yet.
No worries, if you want to see a potential version, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators is always ready and willing to oblige. For example, the Halo oto channel on YouTube provides fresh automotive info corroborated with their virtual designs; now, there are some CGI ideas about the rumored Land Hopper. The resident pixel master previously illustrated the potential look of a baby Land Cruiser, but they now wanted a fresh approach to go along with the rumored 'Land Hopper' nameplate.
As such, this one seems more inspired by all potential sources of inspiration – the old-school Land Cruisers, such as the 70 series, the dearly departed FJ Cruiser, and also a little the 2024 Land Cruiser. What do you think? Is this idea better than what they previously showcased, or should we just take this with a massive grain of salt, ignore it, and wait for the real deal to arrive at the end of the month?
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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