The 30-year anniversary of Toyota's Land Cruiser will see the company re-release the vehicle in Japan, which should help increase interest in the vehicle used by the United Nations and the International Red Cross.
The Land Cruiser 70 should be a big winner on the Japanese market as demand for the vehicle has continued throughout its history.
The Land Cruiser 70 first debuted in 1984 and remains a solid seller in the Middle East, Africa and Australia, as well as in a few other locations. The rugged off-road vehicle is seeing more interest as people aim for a return to nature, but need a vehicle capable of getting them there.
For around $35,000, the Land Cruiser 70 will be hitting Japanese auto dealers this week and is being promoted as the company's toughest Land Cruiser model to date. The company will sell the vehicle for only one year and plans to manufacture around 200 vehicles monthly.
"Sales in Japan ended in 2004, but to respond to widespread domestic requests for its return to sale and to commemorate its 30th anniversary, Toyota is re-releasing the Land Cruiser 70 in Japan for roughly a year," the company says in announcing the return of the vehicle.
The model was discontinued in Japan back in 2004, but many ardent Land Cruiser fans have urged the company to bring it back onto the market.
"If you ever have to entrust your life with a car, I'd choose the Land Cruiser," chief engineer Sadayoshi Koyari told reporters at an event for car fans in Tokyo.
Currently, the Land Cruiser 70 averages just over 6,000 units per month globally. It is also Toyota's longest-running brand, with a total number of sales at around the 8 million mark worldwide.
"The Land Cruiser 70's ladder-frame construction gives it its legendary robustness and durability," says the company in a press release. "These features are combined with a V6 4.0-liter engine and part-time four-wheel drive to reproduce the Land Cruiser's classic features, including its excellent drivability. The vehicle incorporates modern interior and exterior design elements and safety features to meet today's needs." Those safety features include air bags and ABS. It averages about 15 mpg, the company says, with a 5-speed manual transmission and V6 4.0 liter engine.
The Land Cruiser 70 also will be available in two special editions, as a four-door van and, for the first time in Japan, as a double-cab pickup truck.
With car manufacturers being hit hard this year by a number of recalls that have seen the total number of vehicles recalled in the millions, Tech Times reports, companies like Toyota are hoping that new promotions such as this will help jump-start confidence in the sector.
