The Japanese automaker is so actively involved in every aspect of the automotive industry it's starting to get harder and harder to keep track of every novelty. Luckily, the rumor mill never sleeps.
The company just went through a couple of major events late last month and earlier this November. At home, they graced the first-ever Japan Mobility Show (formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show for almost seven decades) with lots of mobility and EV concepts, including the Land Hopper and Land Cruiser Se, among many others.
As it turns out, the Land Cruiser Se was indeed the rumored all-electric vision of the legendary off-road SUV. But the Land Hopper proved to be smoke without fire – the rumor mill hoped this would be a body-on-frame compact SUV derivative of the all-new 2024 Land Cruiser. Instead, it turned out into a three-wheel mobility concept that no one will remember before long.
Going right past their 300-million vehicle milestone, Toyota also covered the 2023 SEMA Show as a pro with stuff like the Retro Cruiser and FJ Bruiser specialty builds, the new 421- or 469-hp performance package for the 2024 Tundra, or the absolute superstar – a 2024 Toyota Tacoma X-Runner street truck concept featuring Tundra's swapped and enhanced 3.4-liter turbo V6 mill. Again, no compact Land Cruiser was introduced.
And it probably won't arrive at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show (November 17-26) because Toyota is already busy teasing the all-new XV80 ninth-generation Camry mid-size sedan plus the second Crown body style, a veritable crossover SUV. However, not all hope is lost – the rumor mill has again uncovered a new trademark filing citing a 'Land Cruiser FJ' registration in late October, according to the Land Cruiser Forum. Naturally, that meant just one thing – the imaginative realm of digital car content creators immediately started having new visions of the compact Toyota Land Cruiser SUV.
For example, the Halo oto channel on YouTube provides fresh automotive info corroborated with their virtual designs; now, there are some novel CGI ideas about that rumored FJ Cruiser revival. It all boils down to the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser presentation from August that showed behind the SUV a couple of silhouettes – one for the Land Cruiser Se and another for this yet-unknown compact Land Cruiser heir of the FJ Cruiser legacy.
As it turns out, we might soon find out what the fuss is all about – and hopefully, Toyota will bring to America this new Land Cruiser version. As a reminder, not all Land Cruisers will grace the United States market – the J300 full-size Land Cruiser presented in 2021 is only available in certain regions, while the J250-based 2024 Land Cruiser mid-size SUV is now the global flagship. However, a compact Land Cruiser FJ would surely have a field day in America – and instill fear into the hearts of Ford Bronco Sport fans.
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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