The Toyota Land Cruiser is currently absent from the US market, but a high-ranked Toyota executive said that the historic nameplate will likely make a return in the future.

Motortrend spoke with Jack Hollis, executive vice president of sales at Toyota Motor North America. When asked about a possible return of the Land Cruiser in the US, Hollis said: “Will we ever? I would say likely yes”.

While Hollis didn’t reveal anything about the timing of a possible US launch, he went on to elaborate: “Obviously, the Land Cruiser is such an important part of our heritage and has done such a great job. And I’ll be looking at it, absolutely. Have I seen designs, thoughts, and hopes, yes. But nothing to announce. It’s still a ways off”.

Read: This Lexus GX460 Converted Into A Toyota Is Your Ticket To A Land Cruiser Prado In The States

The Toyota Land Cruiser Series 300 debuted in 2021 generating huge interest among off-road enthusiasts.

Reading between the lines, the executive vice president of sales is likely talking about a new Land Cruiser and not one of the existing models that are offered elsewhere in the world.

Speaking of the existing range, the Toyota Land Cruiser Series 300, introduced in 2021, has been an absolute hit in terms of sales, with long waiting lists and high asking prices in the used car market. The automaker decided not to bring the new generation stateside, leaving Americans with the sole option of its premium brother – the Lexus LX.

Another member of the Land Cruiser family is the smaller Prado (Series 150) which is rumored to get a new generation in 2023 or 2024 since it remains largely unchanged since 2009. Again, the US didn’t get the Prado in favor of the closely related Lexus GX, but things could change with the model’s next generation.

The smaller Land Cruiser Series 150 (below) is due for a replacement since it was first introduced in 2009.

When Toyota announced it would drop the Land Cruiser from the US lineup after 2021 MY, a window of hope was left open. Back then, the automaker prompted “enthusiasts and intrepid adventurers to stay tuned for future developments”. While this doesn’t confirm that a new Land Cruiser is coming, it is certainly a hint.

Whatever the future holds, Toyota fans hope that the Land Cruiser will retain the body-on-frame recipe. Electrification seems inevitable at some point, but it would likely start with hybrid variants of the current petrol and diesel engines before a Land Cruiser with a fully electric powertrain arrives. In any case, US buyers who are interested in a Land Cruiser need to be armed with patience.