Confirmed: Toyota LandCruiser to return to the US, likely as a Prado

Toyota has confirmed reports the iconic Toyota LandCruiser four-wheel-drive name will return to US showrooms, after an absence of two years.

It has stopped short of announcing in what form the LandCruiser badge will return – however reports point to a US-oriented version of the new LandCruiser Prado, due in Toyota showrooms next year.

It is expected to ditch Prado badging for the trip to the United States, but it is unclear how it will be differentiated from the ‘global’ Prado planned for the rest of the world, including Australia.

The LandCruiser has been absent from North American showrooms since production of the full-size LandCruiser 200 Series ended in 2021 – and Toyota elected not to sell the latest LandCruiser 300 Series in the US.

Its luxury twin, the Lexus LX, is the only version of the 300 Series available in the US, with the same 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 engine used in the 300 Series in the Middle East.

The LandCruiser Prado is not believed to have ever been sold in the US – though since 2002 buyers have been able to purchase its Lexus GX luxury counterpart, which shares the Prado’s body shell but gains new front and rear-end styling, a different interior, and V8 power.

As reported by Drive in recent days, the new Lexus GX – unveiled last week – is expected to be a blueprint for the design and technology in the new ‘global’ Toyota Prado, which is due for unveiling later this year ahead of first international showroom arrivals next year.

The GX swaps a petrol V8 for twin-turbo V6 petrol or turbo four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid power – and gains a boxy new look that company insiders say was inspired by the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class.

While the global Toyota Prado is expected to hold onto diesel power in its new generation, the US LandCruiser is likely to follow the path of the GX with petrol power only – as diesel fuel is a niche offering in passenger vehicles in the US.

Arrival timing for the US Toyota LandCruiser rival is yet to be disclosed, however a report by industry journal Automotive News suggests it is due sometime next year.

If there are differences between the global and US-market Toyota Prado models, it remains to be seen if they will be made available to Australia.

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