Orders for the legendary LandCruiser 70 Series workhorse will remain closed for months yet, as Toyota seeks to clear its backlog of orders amid limited production.
“LC70 stop-orders will continue for the first six months [of 2023] until such time as we see a better production outcome,” Toyota Australia vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley told CarExpert.
It means it’s unlikely punters will be free to place their orders until July at the earliest.
This suggests the agricultural icon will be off sale for a year or more, since Toyota first announced the pause of forward orders beyond the existing bank in July 2022.
When we asked Mr Hanley last year why LandCruiser 70 production was falling so far short of demand – it isn’t exactly brimming with semiconductors after all – he suggested huge demand played an even more substantial role.
“It’s capacity and volume…. I mean chips play a role, but it’s also capacity and demand,” decades-long Toyota veteran Hanley said, saying demand right now was “huge, it’s massive”.
“My belief is that all the different incentives that were around through COVID; massive booming agricultural returns right now, mining’s booming, everything that suits LandCruiser 70 is booming…
“And private. It’s had a bit of a surge in the private market too, just quietly. There are enthusiasts out there as well.”
The situation means that the updated 70s centred around the addition of more modern safety features, as well as a GVM upgrade that re-categorises it as a medium goods vehicle, will continue to be imported to satisfy existing orders rather than going to new buyers.
In the meantime, expect the price of used LandCruiser 70s to stay high given the lack of competition. Australia is a top market for the evergreen, unchanging 4×4, among mining fleets, primary producers, overlanders, and 4×4 enthusiasts.
LandCruiser 70 cab chassis and Troopie sales were 11,390 units in 2022, down 7.2 per cent.
The LandCruiser 70 is built by the Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. subsidiary in Japan.
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