Toyota Land Cruiser | |
---|---|
![]() 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser ZX (VJA300, Colombia) | |
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Toyota |
Production | 1951–present |
Body and chassis | |
Class | |
Layout | Front-engine, four-wheel-drive |
The Toyota Land Cruiser (Japanese: トヨタ・ランドクルーザー, Hepburn: Toyota Rando-Kurūzā) (also sometimes spelled as LandCruiser)[1] is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models.[2] As of 2019[update], the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 10 million units worldwide.[3]
Production of the first generation of the Land Cruiser began in 1951.[3][4][5] The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon and cab chassis body styles. The Land Cruiser's reliability and longevity have led to huge popularity, especially in Australia, where it is the best-selling body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicle.[6] Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outback – considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain.[7][8][9] In Japan, the Land Cruiser was once exclusive to Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Store.
Since 1990, the smaller variation of the Land Cruiser has been marketed as the Land Cruiser Prado. Described as a 'light-duty' version of the Land Cruiser by Toyota, it features a different design compared to the full-size model and, up until 2023, it remains the only comfort-oriented Land Cruiser available with a short-wheelbase 3-door version.
As of 2023, the full-size Land Cruiser was available in many markets. Exceptions include the United States (since 2021),[10] Canada (since 1996),[11] Malaysia (which receives the Lexus LX instead), Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Brazil, and most of Europe. In Europe, the only countries where the full-size Land Cruiser is officially sold are the Gibraltar, Moldova, New Caledonia,[12] Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The Land Cruiser is hugely popular in the Middle East, Russia, and Australia, and also in Africa where it is used by farmers, the construction industry, non-governmental and humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, national armies (often the pickup version), and irregular armed groups who turn them into "technicals" by mounting machine guns in the rear. In August 2019, cumulative global sales of the Land Cruiser family surpassed 10 million units.[13]
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search