Next-Gen Toyota Land Cruiser 2020 delayed?

ABU DHABI: Anticipation was in the air when the next-generation Toyota Land Cruiser was rumoured to hit the markets in mid-2020. The current model, after all, has been in production for over a decade now. Latest reports, however, suggest that the development of the vehicle has probably hit a snag. This means that the 2020 Land Cruiser is likely to be further delayed.

A leading Japanese automobile website claimed, officials in Toyota familiar with the development of the next-generation Toyota Land Cruiser, have said that the project has returned to the drawing board. The report on the website added that ‘rethinking is necessary’ for the car which is also dubbed as LC200 for branding. The look of the new version, the website said quoting Toyota sources, is strikingly similar to the existing model. From the design, it appears that the car has undergone only a minor model change, a Toyota executive told the automobile website on conditions of anonymity.

That gives car enthusiasts an idea of how the new Land Cruiser may have looked like before the Japanese automobile major voted to incorporate changes to its design. It is being widely believed that the design was more evolutionary instead of being revolutionary. But now since the design team being asked to redesign the SUV, the same may not be the case anymore. That said, loyal fans of the Land Cruiser are more inclined to see the car in its present avatar, and Toyota may just tread with caution in this regard.

While the new Toyota Land Cruiser will still be powered by a diesel engine, a hybrid version is also on the cards, as widely reported earlier. However, concrete details are yet to emerge on the turbodiesel, gas, and hybrid engines. But it’s being speculated that Toyota may just tweak the 4.4-litre V8 D-4D motor for enhanced performance and better fuel economy. The hybrid engine, on the other hand, may be borrowed from the 2018 Crown which is fitted with a 3.5-litre 46 motor, with an output of 359PS.

If the redesigning reports are to be believed, the new Land Cruiser is unlikely to debut before 2021. What finally arrives could be a dramatically redesigned version of the hugely popular SUV.