Toyota’s new Land Cruiser may be more versatile than we first realized.
The Japanese auto giant and its Calty Design Research studio are presenting an open-top truck based on the popular SUV at this year’s SEMA Show. The Calty Land Cruiser ROX may just be a concept, but it’s a tantalizing peek at how great a pickup could be based on the current generation model.
Americans may think of the Land Cruiser as an SUV, but there are several versions of the truck dating back to its debut in 1951. The first version of the vehicle – which was the equivalent of the Toyota Willys MB, known as the original Jeep – was modified. of the company’s light truck and was also available as a minivan. A lot has changed since then, but the nameplate has adorned a number of trucks in various regions over the past decades, including the beloved FJ40 and the current Australian Land Cruiser 70.
However, the automaker’s new concept has nothing to do with that old-fashioned car. The Calty Land Cruiser ROX is very clearly based on the existing J250 model that debuted in 2021 and was launched in the US last year. Calty took the boxy behemoth and removed everything above the door line from the C-pillar to the rear, including the D-pillar, giving the car a completely open, roofless design. Where that part of the car was now there is a rugged-looking roll bar, to maintain structural integrity, as well as a fairly wide bed and a removable soft top should the weather take a turn for the worse.
These changes alone make the concept beautiful, but it’s also equipped with plenty of off-road gear. Above the windshield, the only piece of glass on the car, you’ll find a super-bright LED light bar and there’s also a new bumper, prominent fenders, and a set of massive all-terrain tires.
Toyota/YouTube
Now for the sad part: The Calty Land Cruiser ROX is just a show car at this point. A video discussing this concept explains that it is a one-time build. Still, the Tacoma and Tundra showed Toyota that Americans love trucks, so if the company needs to give the Land Cruiser lineup some juice — even though it’s been selling quickly since its reintroduction — why not offer a different kind of truck?
Authors Brian Hood
Brian Hood is a digital writer for Robb Report. Before joining the magazine, he worked at the New York Post, Artinfo, and New York Magazine, where he covered everything from celebrity gossip to…
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