Demand, not V8 to V6 switch the reason for Toyota halting Land Cruiser 70-series sales

UPDATED: Toyota Motors South Africa has confirmed to The Citizen that no delays are being experienced for South Africa-bound Land Cruiser 70-series models, saying no “stop-ordering” has been implemented.

Toyota has hit back at alleged speculation claiming that its pausing of orders in Australia for the venerable Land Cruiser 70-series has been an intentional delay to clear the backlog of orders in preparation for a switch from V8 to V6 power.

Earlier this year, the automaker announced it was halting orders for the next twelve months as a result of being unable to meet demand Down Under for the 70-series due to global semi-conductor shortage and related supply chain issues.

“The Toyota team has been working diligently to deliver a record number of vehicles with extraordinary support from our parent company,” Toyota’s Vice-President for Marketing and Sales, Sean Hanley, told carexpert.com.au in July.

“At the same time, strong demand and industry-wide supply challenges globally mean we simply cannot fulfil orders more quickly. Therefore, we have decided to pause new customer orders for the Land Cruiser 70 Series.

ALSO READ: V8 staying put in Toyota Land Cruiser 76/79 for now

“I understand this news will be disappointing and want to sincerely apologise to our customers and assure them we will continue to provide updates as further information becomes available,” the executive concluded.

In a follow-up to drive.com.au, Hanley stated that no truths reside in the claims of the Land Cruiser 70-series being readied to forgo the 4.5 D-4D V8 engine for the Land Cruiser 300’s 3.3-litre turbodiesel V6 once sales resume, saying demand and not power is what the automaker is currently struggling with.

“[The V8] is still in production. We’ve paused orders because demand exceeds our ability to supply by a significant margin. In the interest of being totally transparent with the customer, we just think that it’s best (to close the order books). Right now, we’ve got to satisfy our existing customer base,” Hanley said.

Hanley’s support for the single-turbo V8, that departed in twin-turbo form following the Land Cruiser 300’s replacing of the 200 last year, comes on the back of a pair of reports in 2020 alleging not only a switch to the mentioned V6, but possibly also hybrid motivation in a form of a diesel-electric reportedly on the cards for the Fortuner in 2023.

In a subsequent rebuking of the claims, Toyota Australia’s Senior Product Manager, Rod Fergusson, told defunct online publication, carsguide.com.au last year, “We don’t have any plans to discontinue the engine that’s currently in the LC70. The V8 turbodiesel engine in the LC70 is currently still in production”.

The delays experienced Down Under comes on the back of an apology from Toyota CEO and President, Akio Toyoda, who confirmed in a statement back in January that the knock-off effects of the chip shortage had pushed waiting times for the Land Cruiser 300 out to four-years if ordered now.

Subsequently, order books for both the Land Cruiser 300 and Lexus LX have closed in Japan in order for demand to be met rather than being expanded further.

At present, sales of both models in South Africa continue, seemingly unaffected by the shutdown Down Under.