FJ Cruiser to be axed

Toyota has announced it will discontinue the FJ Cruiser in North America by mid-2014, but its Australian division says the popular Prado-based retro-SUV will continue to be available here for the foreseeable future.

According to a US dealer bulletin obtained by motoring.com.au, the FJ Cruiser will be discontinued Stateside at the end of 14MY, pricing for which will be announced in September before final orders are accepted on June 10, 2014.

It’s believed slow sales are the reason behind the FJ Cruiser’s axing in the US, where sales have plummeted from a high of 56,225 in 2006 to just 11,941 in 2009 and less than 14,000 in 2011 and 2012.

In contrast, FJ Cruiser sales have exceeded Toyota sales expectations in Australia, where an upgraded ‘Series 2’ was released in 2011. In its first year on sale here 1886 examples were purchased, before sales spiked by almost 60 per cent to 2981 in 2012, despite stock shortages and the lack of diesel power.

To April this year the FJ Cruiser has already found more than 950 customers (up more than 10 per cent on the same period last year) while 2013 sales of the Prado upon which it’s based have declined by 15.5 per cent to 4905, although it remains the nation’s top-selling mainstream large SUV.

Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen said there were no plans for the FJ Cruiser to be discontinued here.

“Yes, we understand the FJ Cruiser will be discontinued in the USA, (but) we don't know exact timing,” he said.

“It will continue in production for all other global markets, into the future.”

However, given the FJ Cruiser was designed specifically for the US, which remains its largest single market, it remains to be seen how long production of right-hand drive versions for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan will continue – or whether a replacement will be developed once production stops.

Produced in Japan by Toyota’s truck subsidiary Hino Motors since 2006, the FJ Cruiser is not officially sold in Europe (where some examples have been privately imported) due to its size, bulk and the absence of diesel.

Breen said the latest announcement would not help Toyota Australia’s desire for a diesel-powered FJ Cruiser, which is currently available only with a 4.0-litre petrol V6.

“Unfortunately, there is no plan to introduce a diesel,” he said. “The FJ was originally designed specifically to meet the needs of the North American market -- there were no plans for the vehicle to be sold outside of this market.

“Fortunately, a few years ago, TMC made the decision to introduce the vehicle in right hand drive form for the Japanese market, which provided us with the opportunity to take the vehicle.

“As there is little or no demand for a diesel variant in either the North American or Japanese market, the relatively small volumes we take does not justify homologation of a diesel for our market.”

Designed to rival GM’s Hummer and recall the styling and off-road prowess of Toyota’s original FJ40 LandCruisers, the FJ Cruiser was first revealed as a concept a decade ago at the 2003 Detroit motor show, before widespread acclaim led to the reveal of the showroom version at the 2005 Detroit show.

With the US market now cluttered with large off-road wagons -- including Toyota’s own recently upgraded 4Runner, which is similar in size but more practical – it appears the novelty of the retro-niche FJ Cruiser has worn off in the land of the SUV.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.