Toyota’s original iconic Land Cruiser 70, popular among Saudis and others in the region, is receiving a makeover.
Toyota is re-releasing its classic desert car as part of a special edition to “commemorate Toyota’s longest-running nameplate,” the company said in a press release. The Land Cruiser 70 was first released in 1984, and the re-release available in Japan only is timed with the car’s 30th anniversary.
Toyota’s Land Cruiser model continues to be an icon of desert living and travel in the Gulf, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The car’s durability and performance in desert driving has won over generations of Saudis, Emiratis, Qataris and others in the region.
According to the company’s press release, “Over the 30 years since its launch, the “Land Cruiser 70″―a milestone model of Toyota’s longest-running nameplate―has gained devoted fans worldwide. Sales in Japan ended in 2004, but to respond to widespread domestic requests for its return to sale and to commemorate its 30th anniversary, Toyota is re-releasing the Land Cruiser 70 in Japan for roughly a year. Additionally, two special edition versions of current models will go on sale at dealers throughout Japan.
The popular American men’s style and gear blog Uncrate featured the special edition release on its site last week. The blog notes that the only way to obtain Toyota’s redesign of this desert classic is to purchase one in Japan and ship it abroad from there on your own.
A 2014 Toyota Land Cruiser on the dunes outside of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo by Lucien Zeigler for SUSTG.
Models of Land Cruisers commercially available vary tremendously in price around the globe, with prices in some desert markets like Saudi Arabia and the UAE significantly cheaper than in the United States. For example, 2015 Land Cruisers in Saudi Arabia start at around SAR 174,000 ($46,390). The starting MSRP price approaches double that amount in the United States at $79,905, before taxes and of course, cheap gas.
The revamped Land Cruiser 70’s classic exterior hides modern automotive technology underneath. The car will have a V6 4.0-liter engine and part-time four-wheel drive and “incorporates modern interior and exterior design elements and safety features to meet today’s needs,” Toyota said.
For the SUV’s durability in the desert, Toyota provides options like “extra electric differential lock (front and rear)” which “prevents the vehicle getting stuck due to wheel-spin.”
To accompany the car’s classic re-release, Toyota will also release two new special edition models of the Land Cruiser, the “Land Cruiser ZX Bruno Cross”3 and the “Land Cruiser Prado TX Argento Cross.”
[All images via Toyota.com]
