Toyota Discontinues Land Cruiser LC200 And Prado Models: Will Not Be Available After 31 March 2020

The Land Cruiser LC200 is one of the best luxury off-road SUVs in the world, and the India spec LC200 features a 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel engine that produces 268bhp of power and 650Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

While the Land Cruiser LC200 has a lot of charisma and a commanding presence, the SUV is outdated in terms of features and equipment. In addition, the LC200 is overpriced (considering the lack of new features) at Rs 1.47 crore (ex-showroom, India).

Toyota neither acknowledges nor denies that sales for the Land Cruiser have hit an all time low in the company's important market across North America, Europe, and select markets in Asia.

Rumor has it that the Toyota Land Cruiser LC200 will be replaced by an LC300 model that will be updated in design, features and technology, and will feature a petrol-hybrid engine. The company has not made an official statement however.

The Land Cruiser LC200 competes with the Mercedes-Benz GLS, the Land Rover Range Rover, and the Nissan Patrol, and will continue to compete until 31 March this year.

The other SUV that Toyota is discontinuing is the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. Essentially a smaller version of the LC200, The Prado features a 3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 170bhp of power and 410Nm of torque. The engine comes mated to a five-speed automatic transmission.

Priced at Rs 96.30 lakh (ex-showroom, India) the SUV competes with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the Land Rover Discovery.

General Trivia

The Land Cruiser series is the longest-running product in Toyota's portfolio. Toyota have sold over 10 million units sold worldwide. The Land Cruiser gets its name from the Toyota ‘Jeep' BJ off-roader from the 1950s.

The Land Cruiser has been built in convertible, hard top, station wagon and cab-chassis body styles. Reliability and longevity of the SUV had made it largely popular in Australia, and most of the Middle East.

Thoughts About Toyota Discontinuing The Land Cruiser LC200 And The Land Cruiser Prado

This is a good move by Toyota. Bringing upgrades to design, the exteriors, the interiors, and tech, and engine all at the same time will make the SUV more expensive. While the new pricing will justify all the upgrades, consumers will most likely believe the SUVs to be overpriced.