Requests are not being accepted at the moment for Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series models featuring the turbo-diesel V8 motor, and the timeline for when they will be open remains uncertain.
“V8, we are actively processing the orders,” mentioned Sean Hanley, who is the Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Franchise Operations at Toyota Australia.
“We anticipate fulfilling those orders. However, I currently do not have a clear indication of when the order bank will open. We still have some ground to cover to manage our existing commitments.
“On the other hand, the four-cylinder is absolutely available… and its popularity is increasing each day.”
Mr. Hanley emphasized that he doesn’t foresee the opening of orders for the V8 “in the foreseeable future”.
“Our primary focus is to deliver each and every one of those vehicles to the customers who have placed orders,” he explained.
At one stage, dealers were quoting waiting periods of four years “or potentially never” for the esteemed V8 model.
Back in February, Mr. Hanley had mentioned that the V8 70 Series was “likely a vehicle you would consider [removing from Australia] initially]” in anticipation of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
As per Mr. Hanley, the consideration of discontinuing the V8 had “always been present prior to NVES, but now it is probably firmly established in our strategy”.
If the decision is made to discontinue, Toyota Australia will then need to assess its capacity to produce additional units to fulfill current orders.
“After that, I believe it will be smooth sailing,” stated Mr. Hanley. “The 2.8L automatic LandCruiser 70, Euro 6 compliant, is our way forward.”
With 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque, the four-cylinder variant has just 1kW less power than the V8, but offers an additional 70Nm of torque. This was introduced as part of the upgrades for 2023.
Furthermore, it is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, in contrast to the V8 which is only available with a five-speed manual.
Toyota dealers have been in contact with customers awaiting the V8 model, proposing the more readily accessible four-cylinder alternative.
The company initially announced a pause on V8 70 Series orders back in July 2022. It was confirmed last year that around 12,000 vehicles are anticipated in 2024, with two-thirds likely to be the sought-after V8 variant.
MORE: Everything Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series
