Update: Toyota informed us that it won’t display the new Land Cruiser GR Sport at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show, without providing an explanation for why the vehicle is in the US.
Images of a Toyota Land Cruiser spotted in the U.S. wearing Illinois manufacturer license plates are fueling speculation that the iconic SUV might be gearing up for a return to North America.
The single 2023 Land Cruiser GR Sport was photographed on the back of a transporter together with a BMW M4 and a pair of Jeep Wranglers. Close-up images show the prominent GR branding and part-red leather interior.
Toyota withdrew the J200 Land Cruiser from the North American market in 2021 after poor sales and opted not to import its 2022 J300 replacement, offering only the Toyota’s upscale sister, the Lexus LX, instead. Both models swapped their predecessors’ naturally aspirated V8s for a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 rated at 409 hp (415 PS).
But late last year Toyota Motor North America Executive Vice President of Sales Jack Hollis hinted that the legendarily tough truck might have unfinished business on the continent. “Will we ever? I would say likely yes,” he replied when asked by Motor Trend if Toyota would ever bring the Land Cruiser back to U.S. showrooms.
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“Obviously Land Cruiser is such an important part of our heritage and has done such a great job,” Hollis went on to say. “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.”
That was only last December, and Toyota’s Japanese production team is already struggling to meet demand from other parts of the world for the new version of the truck, so it seems highly unlikely that Toyota is poised to announce U.S. sales at this point.
As it won’t be present at next week’s Chicago Auto Show, where Toyota plans to debut the 2024 Grand Highlander, we speculate that Toyota North America could simply be performing some internal evaluation drives of the 2023 Land Cruiser.
Would you like to see Toyota bring the new Land Cruiser to North America, and do you think enough people would buy it to make sense of the idea? Leave a comment and let us know.
