The Japanese automaker has gotten us accustomed to major introductions, and this one - exclusive to Europe - is no different from the norm, of course.
Last month, Toyota crisscrossed across Earth's continents as it sped up to introduce the 2025 Camry mid-size sedan and 2025 Crown Signia crossover SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Then it also unraveled its IMV 0 vision of a modular pickup truck that's back to basics with the production version dubbed Hilux Champ – launched in Thailand for a mere $13k!
In Europe, it showed the Yaris Cross update with a new version and a more powerful engine snatched from the Toyota LBX – Hybrid 130. And at home in Japan, the brand also made us feel like it's 1984 all over again with the relaunch of the iconic Land Cruiser 70 with the looks of an old-school 4x4 SUV and the internals of a 21st-century vehicle.
Well, those who thought that's about it for Toyota need to think again. The Japanese company is kicking off the final month of 2023 with a European bang – at the annual Kenshiki forum in Brussels, Belgium; they touched on a variety of subjects. In fact, it feels like nothing was left untold at the big event. For example, they revealed the company will deliver advanced mobility solutions specifically for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.
The commercial side of the business launched the new 48V hybrid Hilux, the facelifted Proace and Proace City, as well as the big Proace Max. Interestingly, they are not abandoning the hydrogen side of things in Europe, where the Hydrogen Factory Europe will further grow the business and "stimulate a wider roll-out of hydrogen eco-systems." But wait, as there is more – much more.
The BEVs are now a priority for Toyota, finally, and the company not only brought in Europe the FT-3e concept launched at the inaugural edition of the Japan Mobility Show (formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show for almost seven decades) but also debuted two new prototypes – the Urban SUV Concept that will premiere during the first half of next year plus the European premiere of the Toyota Sport Crossover Concept, both previewing new production battery electric CUVs that will be part of a lineup of six dedicated battery-electric vehicles.
However, there's also a piece of information that has nothing to do with the commercial, hydrogen, and BEV parts of the business. More precisely, Toyota announced it will open pre-sales for the all-new version of the iconic Land Cruiser SUV on December 5 – they are, of course, talking about the J250 variant twinned with the all-new 2024 Lexus GX 550, also known as Prado or 250 across various regions.
The pre-orders take place through an online reservation process, and although we don't know the prices just yet, we at least have a few more details to share with you. First and foremost, the first examples of the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser will arrive in (Western Europe) sometime during the third quarter of 2024. At the moment, although more trims will become available later, only the online-exclusive First Edition, along with the top Prestige and Executive grades, are available for pre-order.
These will be sold in both five and seven-seat configurations, and in Western Europe, the only powertrain available at the moment is a 2.8-liter turbodiesel packing 201 horsepower. It is mated with the new eight-speed Direct Shift automatic transmission, allowing a towing capacity of 7,716 lbs. Later, the 2.8-liter diesel will be matched with a Hybrid 48V technology system sometime in 2025.
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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