The , also sometimes spelt as LandCruiser, is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 10 million units worldwide.
Production of the first generation of the Land Cruiser began in 1951. The Land Cruiser has been produced in convertible, hardtop, station wagon and cab chassis body styles. The Land Cruiser's reliability and longevity have led to huge popularity, especially in Australia, where it is the best-selling body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicle. Toyota also extensively tests the Land Cruiser in the Australian outbackconsidered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain. In Japan, the Land Cruiser was once exclusive to Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Store.
Since 1990, the smaller variation of the Land Cruiser has been marketed as the Land Cruiser Prado. Described as a "light-duty" version of the Land Cruiser by Toyota, it features a different design compared to the full-size model and, up until 2023, it remains the only comfort-oriented Land Cruiser available with a short-wheelbase 3-door version.
In 2025, an even smaller variation called Land Cruiser FJ was introduced. It is built on the IMV platform shared with the Hilux.
As of 2023, the full-size Land Cruiser was available in many markets. Exceptions include the United States (since 2021 where the smaller Land Cruiser Prado has been sold under the Land Cruiser name since 2024), Canada (since 1996), Malaysia (which receives the Lexus LX instead), Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Brazil, and most of Europe. In Europe, the only countries where the full-size Land Cruiser is officially sold are Gibraltar, Moldova, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The Land Cruiser is hugely popular in the Middle East, Russia, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Caledonia, and Africa. It is used by farmers, the construction industry, non-governmental and humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, national armies (often the pickup version), and irregular armed groups who turn them into "technicals" by mounting machine guns in the rear. In August 2019, cumulative global sales of the Land Cruiser family surpassed 10 million units.
Origin In 1936, the Imperial Japanese Army introduced the Kurogane Type 95 Four Wheel Drive reconnaissance car. However, in a separate development, in 1941, the Japanese government asked Toyota to develop a light truck for the military. And after the Empire of Japan occupied the Philippines, then a self-governed American colony, during 1941–1942, a captured Bantam GP (or Willys MB) was sent to Japan for assessment and testing. Japanese military authorities subsequently requested that Toyota produce a similar vehicle, albeit with an altered external appearance.
The prototype Model AK led to the Yon-Shiki Kogata Kamotsu-Sha (四式小型 貨物 車 type 4 compact cargo-truck). The half-ton truck featured an upright front grille, flat front wheel arches that angled down and back (like the later FJ40), headlights mounted above the wheel arches on either side of the radiator, and a folding windshield.
Production AK10 vehicles were powered by the , 4-cylinder Type C engine from the Toyota Model AE sedan coupled to a three-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer gearbox. Unlike the U.S. Jeep, the AK10 had limited use and photographs of it in the battlefield are rare.
In June 1954, responding to claims of trademark violation by the Willys Company that produced the original Jeep, then Director of Technology Hanji Umehara renamed the vehicle "Land Cruiser."
The postwar Toyota "Jeep" BJ is completely different from the AK10 and inherits no mechanical parts from it. However, a lot of lessons learned while developing the AK10 were applied when developing the BJ.
Lineage Toyota divided the Land Cruiser family into four series. The most basic version is the "heavy-duty" series, which prioritizes functionality, durability and off-road capabilities over comfort or technology. It is also characterised by flatter steel body panels and a near vertical greenhouse. Models considered as "heavy-duty" by Toyota are the BJ, FJ, 20, 40 and 70 series.
The "station wagon" series of the Land Cruiser has more emphasis on comfort and interior space. The "station wagon" series first appeared in 1967 as the 55 series Land Cruiser Station Wagon, which was conceived as a four-wheel drive vehicle for recreational use with sufficient space to carry an entire family – a format that was popular with customers in the U.S., and later commonly known as sport utility vehicles. Models considered as part of the 'station wagon' series are the 55, 60, 80, 100, 200, and 300 series.
Since the 70 series, the "light-duty" series has been offered. Primarily tuned for the European market, it was intended to be a more comfortable version of the "heavy-duty" series by adopting coil spring suspension, while being smaller and more affordable than the 'station wagon' series. Since 1990, the "light-duty" series gained an additional moniker for some markets, Prado, coinciding with the release of the 90 series Land Cruiser that was designed to be more comfort oriented. "Light-duty" models included the 70 wagon, 90, 120, 150 and 250 series.
The fourth series, named Land Cruiser FJ, is a model slotted below the Prado. It was unveiled in October 2025 and went on sale in 2026.
Availability of these series varies by market. Until 2021, the U.S. and Canada received the "station wagon" model, but switched to the smaller "light-duty" model with the release of the 250 series in 2023. Most of Europe received the "light-duty" model, while only several European countries also received the "station wagon" model.
Timeline of the Toyota Land Cruiser, 1951–present
Light Duty series
Heavy Duty series BJ and FJ (1951)
History In 1950, the Korean War created demand for a military light utility vehicle. The United States government ordered 100 vehicles with the then-new Willys specifications and tasked Toyota to manufacture them. The Toyota "Jeep" BJ prototype was developed in January 1951. This came from the demand for military-type utility vehicles, much like the British Land Rover Series 1 that was developed in 1948. The Jeep BJ was larger than the original U.S. Jeep and more powerful courtesy of its Type B 3.4-litre six-cylinder OHV Four-stroke petrol engine which generated a power output of at 3,600 rpm and of torque at 1,600 rpm. It had a part-time four-wheel drive system like the Jeep. However, and unlike the Jeep, the Jeep BJ had no low-range transfer case. In July 1951, Toyota's test driver Ichiro Taira drove the next generation of the Jeep BJ prototype up to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji, the first vehicle to climb that height. The test was overseen by the National Police Agency (NPA). Impressed by this feat, the NPA quickly placed an order for 289 of these off-road vehicles, making the Jeep BJ their official patrol car.
For the first two years, manufacture was exclusively to order and in small volumes. In 1953, however, regular production of the "Toyota Jeep BJ" began at the Toyota Honsya Plant (rolling chassis assembly). The body assembly and painting were done at Arakawa Bankin Kogyo KK, later known as ARACO (now an affiliate of Toyota Auto Body Company). The "Toyota Jeep BJ" Series was introduced in the following variants: BJ-T (Touring), BJ-R (Radio), BJ-J (Cowl-chassis for a fire-engine).
In June 1954, the name "Land Cruiser" was coined by the technical director Hanji Umehara. "In England we had another competitor – Land Rover. I had to come up with a name for our car that would not sound less dignified than those of our competitors. That is why I decided to call it "Land Cruiser", he recalls. The name had already been used on the Studebaker Land Cruiser which was produced from 1934 to 1954. The , 3.9 L Type F petrol engine was added to the Land Cruiser range for the first time, originally only in the fire-engine chassis. The models were renamed: BJ-T (Touring), BJ-R (Radio), BJ-J (Cowl-chassis for a fire-engine), FJ-J (Cowl-chassis for a fire-engine).
J20 (1955)
History 1955The second generation of the Land Cruiser called the 20 Series was introduced. It was designed to have a more civilian appeal than the BJ for export reasons. It also had more stylish bodywork and a better ride courtesy of longer four-plate leaf springs which had been adapted from the Toyota Light Truck. It had a more powerful 3.9 L six-cylinder Type F petrol engine, but adopted the previous generation's three-speed gearbox. The interior of the vehicles were made more comfortable by moving the engine forward. The 20 Series still had no low range transfer case, but had synchromesh on the third and fourth gears. 1958FJ25 production commenced in Brazil; this being the first Toyota vehicle built outside Japan. These were sold as the "Toyota Bandeirante" from January 1962 when the Toyota petrol engine was replaced with a Mercedes-Benz diesel engine. The word "bandeirante" means "flag carrier" in Portuguese. The FJ25 models were built until August 1968 in Brazil. Production numbers were fairly low; in 1965, the production total was 961 vehicles. 1959The Land Cruiser first imported into Australia by B&D Motors as the FJ25/28 cab chassis with Australian made bodies. The Land Cruiser was the first Japanese vehicle to be regularly exported to the country. A small number of Land Cruisers were initially used in the Snowy Mountains Scheme by contractor Thiess Constructions.
Bandeirante timeline (Brazil) 1959: FJ25Short open (topless) bush-drive carToyota F engine (May 1959 to 1960/61)new in 1959 (also referred to as FJ251) 1960/1961: FJ25LShort soft top bush-drive carToyota F engine (1960/1961 to 1960/1961)new in 1960/1961 (also referred to as FJ251L) FJ151LShort soft top bush-drive carToyota 2F engine (1960/1961 to December 1961)replaces the FJ25/FJ251 and the FJ25L/FJ251L (there are few mentions in literature and no preserved ones known; it could be even doubted if it is ever been actually built) 1962: TB25LShort soft top bush-drive carMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (January 1962 to1966?)replaces the FJ151L (or FJ25L/FJ251L?) TB25LShort hard top bush-drive carMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (January 1962 to1966?)new in 1962 TB41LLong hard top bush-drive car Mercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (September 1962 to July 1968)new in 1962 TB51LShort pickup with native bedMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (September 1962 to January 1966) 1965: TB51L3Short 3-door double cabin pickup with native bed and steel bed coverMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (1965 to ?)new in 1965; possibly only one unit was built 1962–1968: OJ32LShort soft top bush-drive carMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (1966?to August 1968)replaces the soft top TB25L OJ31LShort hard top bush-drive carMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (1966?to August 1968)replaces the hard top TB25L TB81LShort pickup with native bedMercedes-Benz OM-324 engine (February 1966 to August 1968)replaces the TB51L
J30 The J30 was only produced for 9 months from February to October 1960. The full model code is FJ35-V (a left hand drive LV also exists). It is built on a J20 chassis with the main difference being a 4-door wagon style body (today known as a SUV) built by Gifu Auto Body Co. The vehicle has an overall length of 4615mm (181.8 in), a wheel base of 2650mm (104.3 in), and sits 5 people. All FJ35s come equipped with the Toyota F engine and a 4 speed manual transmission with selectable 4 four wheel drive. The J40 based wagon is called the FJ45-V/LV and uses the exact same Gifu built body as the J30. It is thought only 60 were built and none are publicly known to have survived.
J40 (1960)
History