When it was revealed longtime favorite Toyota Land Cruiser would be no longer after 2021 in the U.S., fans of its upscale sibling, the Lexus LX 570 got worried.
However, the luxury unit assuaged their fears letting them know it would continue, albeit in a slightly different form. Now Lexus plans to show what that new “form” Oct. 13 at 12:30 p.m. via the internet.
To hype the event, it rolled out a couple of videos featuring the usual fast cuts of a tough-to-see vehicle racing through what appears to be desert scrub accompanied by appropriately thunderous music. However, the teaser photo reveals more, starting with the name: LX 600.
The name shows up in the form of the badge on the liftgate of what appears to be a large SUV, which follows what we’ve been led to believe the new model will be like. The Land Cruiser will be sold in other markets, the new iteration dubbed the 300 Series, and the debut is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia.
What’s coming?
The Lexus LX carries on with a few changes, the most notable is expected to be under the hood.
One of the “characteristics” of the Land Cruiser/LX was the powerful, reliable V-8 engine. However, as is the way of the world these days, the new model gets a 3.5-liter V-6 or a 3.3-liter diesel. Mind you, it is a twin-turbo putting out about 400 horsepower and nearly 500 pound-feet of torque.
The powerplant provides plenty of muscle while allowing Toyota to reduce carbon emissions, especially since it’s paired with the new Direct Shift-10AT, the automakers new 10-speed automatic transmission.
The move away from the Land Cruiser by Toyota in the U.S. is a curious one as large SUVs are still strong sellers, especially those that are highly contented. In fact, the market is so strong, it prompted Stellantis — then FCA — to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer looking to get a piece of that lucrative pie.