Toyota LandCruiser Hybrid getting closer
Lexus LX 700h nameplate trademarked in Canada, fuelling expectations for LandCruiser version soonThe long-awaited Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid is another step closer with the submission of a trademark application this week for the related Lexus LX version.
As found on the Canadian Trademarks Database, Toyota Motor Corporation filed for the protection of the ‘LX700h’ nameplate on March 6, 2022, under Class 12 which relates to automobiles.
That paves the way not only for a Lexus LX 700h hybrid but a flagship Toyota LandCruiser Hybrid, given the two models are closely related and share powertrains worldwide.
No other details were revealed in the Canadian application, but as we’ve reported the powertrain in question is likely to be the 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol-electric hybrid that’s already in service overseas in the Toyota Tundra pick-up and Toyota Sequoia SUV – both of which are based on the same TNGA-F ladder-frame architecture as the LC300 and LX.
A 305kW/650Nm non-electrified version of the 3.5-litre V6 is used in the Lexus LX 600 in Australia, whereas the local-spec LandCruiser relies solely on a 227kW/700Nm 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel (also found in LX).
In comparison, the 3.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid in the Tundra and Sequoia produces a gutsier 325kW of power and 790Nm of torque, driving through the familiar 10-speed automatic transmission.
In these Toyota models, the hybrid is known as ‘iFORCE MAX’ – a name that was also subject of an Australian-specific trademark filing last year, as revealed exclusively by carsales.
Toyota Australia sources have previously said a hybrid version of both the LandCruiser and LX would be considered for our market, while the company’s sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley recently told us that it was “quite conceivable” a Toyota 4WD or commercial vehicle could be electrified by 2025.
In 2021, Hanley also promised to have an electrified Toyota HiLux and LandCruiser on sale in Australia, among other new model lines, “as early as 2030”.
We now expect the launch dates to be closer to mid-decade, and while the Lexus LX 700h might arrive in Australia before the Toyota LandCruiser version, the LC300 hybrid is sure to be a hugely popular model – just as the diesel version has already proven to be.
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