Two EV SUVs will sit above and below the recently unveiled Land Cruiser Prado SUV.
Just like the expanded Century and Crown model line-ups, Toyota's Land Cruiser range will see more models in the future. The brand currently sells three Land Cruiser SUVs globally: the flagship LC300, the recently unveiled LC250 or the Land Cruiser Prado, and the retro-styled rugged Land Cruiser 70, which also received a major update a few months ago. The brand is readying two more models for global markets that will be positioned above and below the Land Cruiser Prado.
Two Land Cruiser EV SUVs incoming
The upcoming Land Cruiser EV line-up will include an affordable, urban-focused derivative and a range-topping luxury model, to establish the name as a brand in its own right. These EV SUVs will follow the new ‘core’ Land Cruiser model, which is the J250 or the Prado. The Prado is currently in the process of seeing market introductions globally, and comes with petrol and diesel engine options, and – depending on the market – with mild hybrid tech.
Positioned on either side of this new ‘J250’ model in marketing terms, the two new electric SUVs will broaden Land Cruiser's appeal by taking it into both more affordable and luxurious territories.
Toyota Compact Cruiser to be entry-level rugged EV SUV
Previewed as a concept but looking nearly production-ready, the Toyota Compact Cruiser is a squat, rugged family SUV that attempts to offer the spirit of the Land Cruiser in a smaller, more affordable guise. Toyota said the concept was designed to “show how the ‘Cruiser’ moniker can adapt to an all-electric and ultramodern environment”, with a focus on young city buyers “who enjoy active outdoor leisure interests”.
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The brand's chief branding officer Simon Humphries told our sister publication Autocar UK that Toyota is evaluating how to make the Land Cruiser line-up “more affordable” and “within reach of even more people around the world” as it electrifies.
The new compact model will serve as a more style-focused, utilitarian alternative to the similarly sized Toyota bZ4X, no doubt commanding a small premium to take it into contention with more premium-oriented rivals like the upcoming ‘baby’ Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz’s ‘little’ G-Class.
The visual relationship with the new combustion-powered Land Cruiser is clear, as is the influence of the seminal J40-generation Land Cruiser of the 1960s. The Compact Cruiser’s blocky, upright proportions and squared-off arches are clear nods to both its 1960s ancestor and the later FJ.
A range of go-anywhere accessories (including a roof rack, auxiliary lights and branch deflector wires) hint at a degree of comparable off-road ability. While there is no official confirmation, it is expected to ride on a variation of the E-TNGA platform that underpins the bZ4X, which produces up to 217hp and has a 71.4kWh battery, giving a claimed 415km maximum range.
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Toyota Land Cruiser SE EV SUV to come by 2026
At the other end of the line-up will be the much larger and more luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser SE. It will be entirely unrelated – technically and visually – to the utilitarian, off-road-focused Land Cruisers that have gone before. It was displayed as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show as part of a line-up that previews a totally overhauled range of Toyota EVs arriving in the second half of the decade.
The SE EV SUV could launch in 2026 to mark Land Crusier's 75th anniversary. Expected to be among the largest and heaviest cars in Toyota’s new-look line-up, this luxury Land Cruiser is unlikely to tout the loftiest range figures, but will no doubt still exceed the range of most electric SUVs on sale today.
Despite the SE’s radically different design and road-focused billing, Toyota remains committed to the core values of the Land Cruiser brand and says the SE will offer “highly responsible handling” in off-road situations, aided by the “high-torque driving characteristics of a battery-electric vehicle” and its modern monocoque, rather than ladder-frame, construction.
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Stellantis reveals new STLA large EV platform
STLA large platform can accommodate bigger batteries and “extreme” powertrain setups.
Stellantis has revealed a new electric car platform that will accommodate batteries big enough for 800km of range and "extreme" powertrains with more grunt than a Hellcat V8.
The new STLA Large platform is related to the STLA Medium platform, which is designed for EVs measuring between 4.7 and 4.9 metres long and recently made its production debut under the new Peugeot e-3008 SUV overseas. It's likewise "BEV-native", but it can also accommodate hybrid powertrains and is compatible with front-, rear- and four-wheel-drive powertrains.
STLA large platform to be used by many Stellantis brands
This new platform is designed for the largest cars in the Stellantis portfolio (measuring between 4.76m and 5.13m long), which the company said will take the form of crossovers, SUVs and lower-slung cars in the D and E segments.
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The prevailing focus is on the US market, but Stellantis has confirmed that some European factories, including the Alfa Romeo one in Cassino, Italy, will be adapted to build STLA Large EVs for local sale. It will first be used for a pair of models from Dodge and Jeep, understood to be the Charger muscle car and Wagoneer S SUV among other full-sized EVs. Jeep's Wagoneer S, which is scheduled to launch in the US in the second half of 2024, will boast of the brand's 4xe off-road tech, have about 600hp, and is said to have a claimed 0-100kph time of 3.5 seconds.
Alfa Romeo will then use STLA Large for a range-topping luxury SUV in the vein of the BMW iX and an electric Giulia sedan replacement, while Maserati is set to launch a closely related EV replacement for the Levante SUV at around the same time.
The platform will underpin eight production cars – including at least one from Chrysler, which currently sells only the Pacifica MPV – by the end of 2026, Stellantis said.
Individual brands will make statements about their plans for STLA Large from later this year. The relevant EVs from Dodge and Jeep are due on sale within a matter of months.
As an indication of its performance potential, Stellantis said the quickest STLA Large cars will crack 0-100kph in around 2.0sec, with "extreme power that will outperform any of the existing Hellcat V8s". The recently retired Dodge Charger Hellcat, for reference, packed 717hp and 881Nm of torque and so could crack the same sprint in around 3.7sec.
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All EVs based on this platform will be powered by e-axles – compact units that comprise the motors, inverters and gearbox. They will be fitted with a conventional 400V electrical architecture as standard but can optionally be upgraded to an 800V system, which will allow charging at rates of up to 270kW. The largest battery available will be a 118kWh unit giving a maximum range of 800km in the most aerodynamically efficient variants, but Stellantis said it has engineered the platform to support different battery chemistries and drivetrain technologies, suggesting this figure could rise in the future.
STLA platform and the India connection
At the moment, there is no announcement from Stellantis on bringing any STLA platform based model to India. However, we do expect some of the future offerings from the brand that will be based on this platform to be sold in our market.
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