Toyota Teases That the Land Cruiser Is Returning to the U.S.

It took just two years for Toyota to change its mind.

The Japanese auto giant has all but confirmed that one of its most beloved models, the Land Cruiser, is returning to the US. The news comes two years after the marque stopped selling the model stateside and is sure to bring a smile to the face of American off-roading enthusiasts.

The perceived confirmation came in the form of a video posted to Toyota’s Facebook page and Instagram account on Tuesday. The short clip cycles through the many different Land Cruiser badges that have been used over the last seven decades. That alone would have been enough to get people talking, but the real cause for celebration is the caption.

A post shared by Toyota USA (@toyotausa)

“Nothing better than a comeback story,” the Instagram post reads. “The legend returns…”

The post comes one week after Lexus unveiled the next-generation Lexus GX. The new version of the 4×4 sports a bigger and boxier exterior that looks awfully similar to the body of the current Land Cruiser Prado sold in other parts of the world. The Prado is a full-size SUV but is slightly smaller than the standard Land Cruiser and has never been sold in the U.S. The fact that Toyota announced the Land Cruiser return so soon after the debut of the 2024 GX has led some, including Car and Driver, to believe that the Prado will be the U.S.’s new Land Cruiser.

“We cannot comment on future product speculation at this time,” a representative for Toyota told Robb Report on Wednesday. “Stay tuned for more information soon!”

There may be some grumbling about the fact that the U.S. isn’t getting a Toyota-badged 300 Series Land Cruiser (though, technically, it is available here as the current-gen Lexus LX), but the GX suggests the Prado will be more than able to hold its own. The luxury marque’s version of the 4×4 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 that generates 349 hp and 479 ft lbs. It also shares a suspension with the bigger LX, which includes a Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System and adaptive dampers.

Regardless, any U.S. Land Cruiser is good in our books.