The Toyota Land Cruiser is coming back to North America. Or the Land Cruiser badge is, anyways. A new post on Toyota USA’s Facebook account contains a video that cycles through multiple generations of Land Cruiser badges, accompanied by text that reads “Did you really think we’d be gone for long? The legend returns.”
We’d heard rumors that it would return to North America and even Toyota execs publicly commented that it was ‘likely’ that the Land Cruiser would make a comeback. But this is the first time the company has officially confirmed that it’s happening.
LC fans in the U.S. haven’t been able to buy one since 2021 when the previous generation SUV was dropped, and the knowledge that drivers in other countries have been able to buy a new-generation LC300 Land Cruiser, but that Toyota USA had opted not to import it, only served to rub salt in the wound.
Related: Everything We Know About The 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The LC300 did sort of make it to U.S. dealers, but dressed up in fancy Lexus trim and badged Lexus LX. And the bad news for anyone hoping to get the genuine Toyota version of that SUV sold in other markets is that it’s almost certainly not the North American return for the Land Cruiser that Toyota USA has in mind.
Though Toyota hasn’t commented on its plans, the smart money is on Toyota bringing the smaller Land Cruiser Prado to the U.S., though it will almost certainly drop the “Prado” tag for its North American debut. The Prado is an established model in much of the world, but is unfamiliar to U.S. drivers, although they did get its Lexus cousin, the GX.
Lexus recently revealed the first new GX in almost 14 years, and its avery cool looking boxy SUV that would work really well with a Land Cruiser badge. It will also have the off-road credentials hardcore Land Cruiser fans demand, thanks to its traditional ladder frame chassis. Lexus has so far only released details of one engine, a twin-turbo 3.4-liter V6 offering 349 hp (354 PS / 260 kW) and 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque, but promises a hybrid option will be added later.
If the Land Cruiser rollout mirrors that of the new Tacoma we can expect a few more teaser posts to appear over the coming weeks and months, and should see the full car before the end of 2023, and a production SUV in showrooms during 2024.
