Although you might see cars like Highlanders, RAV4s, 4Runners and other off-roaders more often on the streets, it’s very rare to find a Toyota Land Cruiser from any generation. There were a lot of rumours about the discontinuation of the Land Cruiser. And in 2020, it was announced that the Land Cruiser will be discontinued, shocking the off-roading community.
But, even if it has been discontinued, there are many reasons why this is a mistake. In this guide, we will look at some of the reasons why the Land Cruiser shouldn’t have been cancelled.
The Basis
The Land Cruiser has been running in North America for decades, with the most recent model coming out in 2008. Many enthusiasts believed that the model has been in need of a redesign, and have been looking out for news concerning this. Rather than this, news of the discontinuation was announced instead.
Many off-roaders love the Land Cruiser, even if it’s not very popular, and for a lot of reasons. It has built a reputation for its fantastic off-road capability, impressive reliability and can even handle up to 250,000 miles. They are highly capable and durable, known for lasting a long time.
In North America, the Land Cruiser is only one vehicle, unlike in other places. It is a full-body size vehicle with the popular V8 engine, high technology features and many more, at an average cost of $85,000. It is one of the more expensive vehicles.
There are different economic reasons behind the cancellation of the Toyota Land Cruiser in North America. It is expected that massive leaders in the industry only make smart decisions when discontinuing a particular model, although it seems like there was a mistake in this situation.
Why Is This a Mistake?
It’s important to know that the Land Cruiser has an average cost of $85,000, and this is very expensive for any Toyota model. But even with this, over 300 people buy this vehicle every month without fail. This is proof that although the vehicle was expensive, it was also in high demand. This has been running for over a decade.
The key point to look at when considering why the discontinuation of the Land Cruiser is a mistake is the kind of people that purchase it. After all, why else will they pay tens of thousands of dollars for an expensive car? Those who purchase this vehicle are known as leaders in the off-roading community.
They are usually known for being owners of large businesses, construction companies, and other important organizations. They also earn from half a million to a million dollars in a year and purchase these cars. These target customers don’t want to gain a lot of attention by purchasing flashy cars, so they go for the Land Cruiser which is expensive, yet highly reliable and functional.
A Toyota is understated yet highly reliable and fitted with top technological features. The manufacturers managed to convince their targeted customer base that this car is the right one for them, with all the features to provide a great off-roading experience. This is another one of the reasons why it was popular among enthusiasts, making the cancellation a mistake.
Although the cancellation of the Land Cruiser was a significant mistake, one of the reasons why they did this was because it didn’t fit their business model. The vehicle was created for wealthy customers who would buy a vehicle once since it was highly reliable. But, since Toyota always focused on volume, they had to cancel the car.
Many think that Toyota giving up the hundreds of buyers of this vehicle was a mistake, but the manufacturers are thinking in terms of volume, as they have many other trim lines popular among drivers and enthusiasts.
The Sales of the Land Cruiser Has Increased
The ironic matter is that, as the cancellation of the Toyota Land Cruiser occurred, the sales also shot up. As the news of the manufacturers discontinuing the vehicle spread, more and more U.S. buyers went for the vehicle. In January 2021, the sales for the vehicle was more than any other month for the past decade. The second-highest recorded sales were in December 2020.
Although, the main reason why so many people decided to purchase this SUV for its expensive price, which is tens of thousands of dollars, isn’t known. Some people might have been disappointed by the fact that the car was being discontinued, especially since it was well-liked among many off-roaders. On the other hand, many wanted to get the powerful V-8 engine that powers the Land Cruiser, and if it was discontinued, it would’ve been hard to purchase it from the second hard market.
Many dealers are also guessing that, although the car has been discontinued, it will be back in a different and better way. Although Toyota has cancelled the car, it is expected that they will manufacture a new one with a different name. It can also come with more advanced features, probably after 2022.
After all, the manufacturers have told all buyers to stay tuned for future developments. Many are looking out for what else Toyota will come with since they have cancelled the vehicle well-liked among them.
There might be some buyers that quickly purchased the vehicle but will end up storing it and letting it collect dust until the powerful engine has become more of a relic and very expensive, than a standard engine. On the other hand, many might have thought that since the car would be cancelled, it would be better to buy a Land Cruiser than to never get the chance to buy it again. After all, it was now or never.
Compared to other Toyota cars, the Land Cruiser did not achieve a lot of sales. But, if you consider the costs of the vehicles rather than the volume sold, you will see that it was a great addition to Toyota’s trim lines.