KATHMANDU : Toyota may have offered the first glimpse of its upcoming electric Land Cruiser, after a camouflaged prototype was spotted alongside the current Land Cruiser GR Sport during development testing in Japan.
The image was shared on Facebook by Andrea Carlucci, Toyota Europe’s Director of Marketing and Product Strategy, with the caption, “The Legend evolves.” The prototype was photographed at Toyota’s Tahara manufacturing facility, where the Land Cruiser 250 Series, Lexus GX and Toyota 4Runner are produced.
Although heavily camouflaged, the prototype features headlight and front-end proportions similar to the Land Cruiser Se Concept unveiled in 2023. It also appears to have slightly lower ground clearance than the current Land Cruiser 300, suggesting it could be a more road-focused SUV.
The production model is expected to adopt a unibody architecture, unlike the ladder-frame construction used by existing Land Cruiser models. The platform is likely to be based on Toyota’s e-TNGA architecture or an updated version of it.
A unibody chassis is expected to improve on-road comfort and handling, although it may offer less off-road capability than conventional Land Cruiser models such as the 70 Series, 250 Series and 300 Series.
The 2023 Land Cruiser Se Concept measured 5,150 mm in length with a 3,050 mm wheelbase, making it slightly longer than the Land Cruiser 300. It remains unclear whether the production version will retain those dimensions.
Toyota has not revealed powertrain details. However, reports suggest the SUV will feature a battery-electric drivetrain, with a range-extender variant also under consideration. The front cooling intake seen on the prototype has fueled speculation that such a version could be in development.
Toyota has not announced a launch timeline, but the latest prototype suggests development of the electric Land Cruiser is progressing towards production.
