Toyota readies two new Land Cruiser SUVs

Just like the expanded Century and Crown model line-ups, Toyota's Land Cruiser range will see more models in the future. The brand currently sells three Land Cruiser SUVs globally: the flagship LC300, the recently unveiled LC250 or the Land Cruiser Prado, and the retro-styled rugged Land Cruiser 70, which also received a major update a few months ago. The brand is readying two more models for global markets that will be positioned above and below the Land Cruiser Prado.

Two Land Cruiser EV SUVs incoming

The upcoming Land Cruiser EV line-up will include an affordable, urban-focused derivative and a range-topping luxury model, to establish the name as a brand in its own right. These EV SUVs will follow the new ‘core’ Land Cruiser model, which is the J250 or the Prado. The Prado is currently in the process of seeing market introductions globally, and comes with petrol and diesel engine options, and – depending on the market – with mild hybrid tech.

Positioned on either side of this new ‘J250’ model in marketing terms, the two new electric SUVs will broaden Land Cruiser's appeal by taking it into both more affordable and luxurious territories.

Toyota Compact Cruiser to be entry-level rugged EV SUV

Previewed as a concept but looking nearly production-ready, the Toyota Compact Cruiser is a squat, rugged family SUV that attempts to offer the spirit of the Land Cruiser in a smaller, more affordable guise. Toyota said the concept was designed to “show how the ‘Cruiser’ moniker can adapt to an all-electric and ultramodern environment”, with a focus on young city buyers “who enjoy active outdoor leisure interests”.

The brand's chief branding officer Simon Humphries told our sister publication Autocar UK that Toyota is evaluating how to make the Land Cruiser line-up “more affordable” and “within reach of even more people around the world” as it electrifies.

The new compact model will serve as a more style-focused, utilitarian alternative to the similarly sized Toyota bZ4X, no doubt commanding a small premium to take it into contention with more premium-oriented rivals like the upcoming ‘baby’ Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz’s ‘little’ G-Class.

The visual relationship with the new combustion-powered Land Cruiser is clear, as is the influence of the seminal J40-generation Land Cruiser of the 1960s. The Compact Cruiser’s blocky, upright proportions and squared-off arches are clear nods to both its 1960s ancestor and the later FJ.

A range of go-anywhere accessories (including a roof rack, auxiliary lights and branch deflector wires) hint at a degree of comparable off-road ability. While there is no official confirmation, it is expected to ride on a variation of the E-TNGA platform that underpins the bZ4X, which produces up to 217hp and has a 71.4kWh battery, giving a claimed 415km maximum range.

Toyota Land Cruiser SE EV SUV to come by 2026

At the other end of the line-up will be the much larger and more luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser SE. It will be entirely unrelated – technically and visually – to the utilitarian, off-road-focused Land Cruisers that have gone before. It was displayed as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show as part of a line-up that previews a totally overhauled range of Toyota EVs arriving in the second half of the decade.

The SE EV SUV could launch in 2026 to mark Land Crusier's 75th anniversary. Expected to be among the largest and heaviest cars in Toyota’s new-look line-up, this luxury Land Cruiser is unlikely to tout the loftiest range figures, but will no doubt still exceed the range of most electric SUVs on sale today.

Despite the SE’s radically different design and road-focused billing, Toyota remains committed to the core values of the Land Cruiser brand and says the SE will offer “highly responsible handling” in off-road situations, aided by the “high-torque driving characteristics of a battery-electric vehicle” and its modern monocoque, rather than ladder-frame, construction.

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