New Toyota Land Cruiser FJ likely to head for South Africa

Toyota South Africa Motors confirmed that the new FJ Cruiser is under consideration for South Africa and likely to be introduced locally in 2026. The Citizen's Jaco van der Merwe had a sneak peek at the vehicle at the recent Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo.

- By Jaco van der Merwe

The idea behind the first FJ Cruiser started in the late 1990s, when Toyota was mulling over the idea of a modern-day interpretation of the Land Cruiser 40 series.

The internally named Land Cruiser J40 was in production for almost 25 years when it was replaced by the Land Cruiser 70 Series (J70) in 1984.

As the J70 and subsequent 80 and 100 Series became bigger and bigger, Toyota wanted to revisit the J40's original ethos of a compact and capable off-roader designed for individual expression.

Developed under the concept of 'Freedom and Joy', the Toyota FJ Cruiser made its global debut in 2006. Originally meant for the North American market, which explains why it was never offered with a diesel engine, there was plenty of demand for the niche product in other markets.

SURPRISINGLY, THE ONLY POWERTRAIN WILL BE TOYOTA'S LONGSTANDING 2TR-FE 2,7ℓ PETROL ENGINE