Toyota Land Cruiser Se hints at electric version of SUV icon

Toyota will use the 2023 Tokyo auto show on this week to present an electric Land Cruiser concept.

Revealed online over the weekend, the new Land Cruiser Se concept indicates Toyota is considering an electric future for its iconic SUV nameplate, though a future more likely suited to urban environments than treks across the Sahara.

The polished design of the concept makes it look more like a luxury SUV than a rugged off-roader, and Toyota has confirmed a more car-like monocoque body rather than the body-on-frame designs typical of off-road vehicles.

Toyota is short on details but confirmed the concept measures 202.8 inches long and sports a wheelbase stretching 120.1 inches. That compares to the redesigned 2024 Land Cruiser‘s length of 193.7 inches and wheelbase of 112.2 inches. The designers made use of the extra size to fit three rows with generous space for seven, Toyota said.

An electric all-wheel-drive system and high-capacity battery most likely forms the powertrain. Toyota in the summer indicated it’s developing batteries for launch this decade capable of delivering range estimates of more than 700 miles and DC fast charging times of around 10 minutes, which would be more than adequate for an electric Land Cruiser.

Toyota has already toyed with the idea of an electric Land Cruiser. In 2021 the automaker built a prototype electric Land Cruiser based on the classic 70-series design form the 1980s, which the automaker still builds for commercial buyers like mining and forestry companies.

The Tokyo auto show opens its doors to the media on Oct. 25. Toyota will also use the show to present concepts for an electric pickup truck, an electric sports car, and an electric crossover. Its Lexus premium division will also preview its next-generation EV technology with a sleek sedan concept.

While Toyota has been slow to jump on the EV bandwagon, it’s now planning one of the biggest EV onslaughts in the industry. Toyota has previously promised to launch 30 EVs worldwide by 2030 and make Lexus an EV brand by the same date in the U.S., Europe, and China, and the rest of the world by 2035.