The demand for Toyota Land Cruiser 300 is way higher than the manufacturer had anticipated, resulting in waiting periods of up to four years
Toyota globally debuted the new-gen Land Cruiser (300 series) earlier this year. The new SUV has managed to generate a lot of buzz online, and its popularity seems to be growing strongly. Despite being on sale in just select international markets, the LC300’s waiting period has already reached as high as four years!
As per recent reports from Japan, Toyota had garnered over 21,500 preorders for the Land Cruiser 300 before its launch, between July 1 and July 13. The manufacturer had then stopped taking advanced bookings, but after launch in August, when the bookings reopened, orders started pouring in again, and the Japanese car giant had to take some unusual countermeasures.
Toyota had its customers pledge to keep the new Land Cruiser for a year without reselling it, in order to ensure that only genuine buyers would place orders, and not people planning to resell the SUV to elite buyers (among others). The LC300 is only available in a few markets, but the demand for it exists in plenty of countries around the globe.
The manufacturer had only planned to sell 5,000 units annually, and due to the massive demand, the waiting period has extended up to four years. The global semiconductor shortage makes matters even worse. A majority of buyers (over 90 per cent) are opting for ZX and GR Sport trims, which are the variants that take the longest to be delivered.
For other trims, the waiting period is relatively lower, between two to three years! The petrol version is more popular than the diesel one, amounting to 60 per cent of bookings. The petrol engine option of the Land Cruiser 300 is a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 unit, with 415 PS and 650 Nm on peak power and torque on tap. The diesel powerplant is a 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 unit, which kicks out 309 PS and 700 Nm.
Transmission choices are limited to just one – a 10-speed automatic gearbox, which sends power to all four wheels. The report also suggests that Toyota is working on a 3.5-litre hybrid powertrain, which could be offered on the SUV in the coming years.