Electric Toyota LandCruiser concept unveiled

Not content with simply showing an electric Toyota Supra sports car concept or a sub-HiLux EV lifestyle ute, Toyota will use this week’s Japan Mobility Show to reveal an all-electric Toyota LandCruiser.

Dubbed the Toyota LandCruiser Se, the seven-seater battery-electric family SUV concept measures 5150mm long, 1990mm wide, 1705mm tall and rides on a 3050mm wheelbase, making it bigger in every respect besides height than the current 300 Series.

If that’s not enough, the design shows it’s clearly no carbon copy of the Toyota LandCruiser 300, with its sleek stature, prominent front overhang and decidedly road-focused rolling stock.

Toyota has also confirmed that it rides on a car-like monocoque platform rather than a traditional body-on-frame architecture.

This road-going focus is further hammered home by Toyota’s own declaration the near-silent electric powertrain “helps create a comfortable cabin space when driving in urban areas and other on-road situations”.

The car-maker does reference some level of “rough terrain” capability, but never explicitly mentions “off-road” or “4x4” when outlining the Se’s platform, which suggests the concept is more LandCruiser by name rather than nature – and more of a road-going family SUV as per the similarly-sized Kia EV9.

The accompanying imagery does little to disprove this conclusion given the vehicle is always shown on flat and or sealed surfaces.

There is at least some visual connection between the exterior design and the new-generation Toyota Prado – known as the LandCruiser in North America – primarily in the square front fascia and stepped hip line, but not enough to call them siblings.

“LandCruiser Se offers the high-torque driving performance unique to BEVs, together with an elegant, stylish design,” Toyota said in its press release.

“Toyota further broadens the LandCruiser brand’s appeal with a three-row SUV that caters to the world’s diverse needs.”

No details of the battery-electric powertrain or platform specifics have been released at this stage, but we’d expect a production version of the LandCruiser Se to feature Toyota’s next-generation battery tech, possibly even a solid-state battery.

Such hardware isn’t expected to be rolled out until at least 2027, but is tipped to yield driving range of up to 1500km in certain models like the Toyota Crown EV.

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