New Toyota Land Cruiser Prado global debut on August 1

The fifth-gen Toyota Land Cruiser Prado will see a global debut on August 1, 2023, the carmaker has announced. The all-new SUV will be unveiled in the US, where it will go on sale for the first time.

In the North American markets, the SUV will be called the Toyota Land Cruiser, while in other markets it will continue with the Land Cruiser Prado moniker. 

1. New Land Cruiser Prado gets J60-inspired styling cues
2. Will come with multiple powertrain options
3. Shares platform and powertrain with Lexus GX SUV

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado: what do the teasers reveal?

The final set of teasers confirms quite a few details about the upcoming Land Cruiser Prado. As reported before, it will be closely related to the already revealed Lexus GX SUV, though a closer look reveals several differences. 

Up front, the new SUV gets a rectangular grille with an 'egg crate design' and a large Toyota badging. The headlights look angular, resembling the looks of the earlier Land Cruiser models, especially the J60 generation. The front and rear fenders seem to be squarish and chunky and everything that's seen in the teaser screams rugged and tough. At the back, the tailgate is upright and the mildly protruding tail-lamps get a retro design with a clear-lens look.

While the overall look is quite similar to the Lexus GX, some body panels look redesigned. The upkicked window line that was seen on the GX seems to have been carried over to the new Land Cruiser Prado. While not much is known about the interior, we expect a proper three-row SUV with seating for seven.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado: TNGA-F platform, powertrain

The new Land Cruiser Prado and the third-gen Lexus GX SUVs will share the platform, off-road gear, some interior elements and a few body panels as well, although the final design will have Toyota cues, as seen in the teaser. There is no news of the powertrain options yet, but expect Toyota to offer petrol, petrol-hybrid and diesel engine options, depending on the market, with more than one gearbox option.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado: will be sold in North America too

As mentioned above, the new Land Cruiser will go on sale in the North American markets and will sit above the popular Toyota 4Runner SUV. The full-size Land Cruiser 300 – which is on sale in India, the Middle East and other markets – never made its way to North America as a replacement for the Land Cruiser 200.

New Land Cruiser Prado: will it come to India?

Certainly; like many other brands, Toyota’s SUVs are currently seeing unprecedented demand in almost every market, including India, where the full-size LC300 has a waiting period of over two years. Toyota seems to be bringing new model launches in India soon after their global debut, as it did with the Vellfire MPV, which is slated to go on sale here soon, just months after its global unveiling. 

With the new Land Cruiser Prado going to newer and larger markets like North America, expect demand to be even higher than its predecessor. We expect the new Land Cruiser Prado and its Lexus sibling, the new GX, to make its way to India in the not-so-distant future.