New Land Cruiser Buyers Are Looking at a 4-Year Wait
Photo: Toyota
Bad news for Americans: Toyota will not sell the next-generation Land Cruiser in the United States. Good news for vindictive Americans: nobody else will get to buy the Land Cruiser for quite some time, either.
According to Japan’s BestCarWeb, Toyota was overwhelmed by interest in the new Land Cruiser 300 Series, with orders outpacing the company’s local production capacity by 400 percent — and this was before the worldwide pandemic shutdown.
Available In America: 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser
As a result, some dealerships began warning customers that wait times for the most popular LC300 models — the ZX and GR Sport — could be as high as two to three years. But those models alone make up about 90 percent of orders in Japan, and with the global chip shortage finally catching up to Toyota, Japanese dealers have adjusted their wait time estimate to up to four years.
At the same time, Toyota Australia issued a statement that confirmed the LC300 would be delayed. “As previously advised, Land Cruiser production in Japan has been halted for part of August and most of September due to COVID-19 restrictions in Southeast Asia that have led to parts shortages,” the statement said.
Photo: Toyota
“However, a limited number of vehicles will be in dealerships as demonstrator models nationally from early October, giving our valued customers the opportunity to experience the new Land Cruiser first-hand, including through test drives as permitted.”
The very first owners of the LC300 probably won’t see their new toy before December at the earliest, and it isn’t looking much better for Americans hoping to buy the next best thing — the new Lexus LX, a luxury-focused version of the LC300 that rides on the same platform. According to Motor1, the microchip shortage is also affecting its production, and it may be delayed to 2022.
At least there’s one good thing that will come of this: with such limited production, terrorists are not as likely to get their hands on the new Land Cruiser as the old one.
Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.