While Toyota did reveal the much anticipated Land Hopper at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, it wasn’t the FJ Cruiser comeback we had hoped for. For those sixteen years of age or older, it came in the form of a three-wheeled electric mobility idea designed to navigate the urban jungle. Thanks to a recent trademark application in Japan, we may now be able to predict the final name of the baby off-road vehicle.
News of a “Land Cruiser FJ” trademark was posted on the Japanese trademark website “Chizai Watch,” where it was found by someone from the Land Cruiser Forum. October 27 was the date Toyota filed its application in Class 12, which is designated for “vehicles; devices for locomotion by land,air or water,” according to an official document published on the Japanese government’s website.
It’s not a given that a carmaker will utilize a name for a production model even if it takes legal action to protect its rights. But it looks like Toyota has already hinted at the Land Cruiser FJ. When the 2024 Land Cruiser 250—known as the Land Cruiser Prado in various markets—was first shown in early August, the ceremony came to a close with the dark silhouettes of two SUVs. While the vehicle on the left with the spare tire mounted on the tailgate is yet unreleased, the vehicle on the right turns out to be the electric Land Cruiser concept that we seen at the Japan Mobility Show last week.
Toyota may have given a sneak peek at the smaller off-road vehicle when it unveiled the Compact Cruiser concept, which is shown below, in late 2021. All of these indicators suggest that the FJ Cruiser will be revived soon after it dies. After the 2014 model year, the model was discontinued in the US, however it was still manufactured up until a few months ago when the final Middle East Final Edition sample was put together. Yes, for a staggering 17 years, the FJ Cruiser was built.
Toyota appears to be attempting to create a Land Cruiser family of cars, similar to how the Crown now has four members and the Century has two. Reason dictates that the previously accessible Land Cruiser 250 and 300 models are likely to be joined by that purely electric variant and this smaller derivative. The latter is said to get gasoline and hybrid powertrains while having roughly the same size as the Corolla Cross but with body-on-frame architecture.
Although Japan’s Best Car magazine reported some time ago that the FJ Cruiser revival will use a reduced GA-F architecture, nothing is official at this time. There may be a totally electric variation later in the life cycle, but these specifications should be taken with a grain of salt.
Toyota wouldn’t be the first carmaker to apply a well-known brand meant for off-road enthusiasts to a smaller car; Ford already has the Bronco Sport, and Mercedes is developing a “Little G.”
