Back in the 1940s when the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the Philippines, they were intrigued by the Bantam Mk II they found over there and asked Toyota to build a similar one. The result was the AK10, which was built via reverse-engineering the Bantam, and Willys wasn’t very happy about it, obviously.
Toyota went on to create the “Jeep BJ” series as there was demand from the governments to supply military vehicles. It was launched on August 1, 1951. The ‘Land Cruiser’ branding and exports began with the 20 series, which was introduced in November 1955 and the rest, as they say, is history.
20 Series
Since then, Toyota has developed several versions and the Land Cruiser went on to become the company’s longest selling brand. In the beginning, fewer than 100 units were exported per year; by 1965, 10 years after full-scale exports began, that figure had surpassed 10,000 units per year, Toyota said.
At present, the Land Cruiser is sold in approximately 170 countries and regions worldwide, with annual global sales standing at approximately 400,000 units. According to Toyota data, cumulative sales stood at 10 million units as of August 31, 2019.
40 Series pick-up in UAE
Some of the old series Land Cruiser models are still being used today around the world. In Africa, the Land Cruiser is used for humanitarian assistance; in Burundi, to carry malaria-infected children to the hospital; and in refugee camps in Uganda, to transport patients to clinics.
70 Series
In Costa Rica (Central America), there are regions where the Land Cruiser is used to harvest carrots at altitudes of 3,500 meters, on slopes so steep that even humans have difficulty standing. The reason apparently, is that “only the Land Cruiser is capable of reaching these fields”.
In Australia, the Land Cruiser is used for mobility in zinc and copper mines some 1,600 meters underground; it is also used to herd cattle on vast cattle ranches of 8,000 square kilometers.
Also Read: Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition celebrates 60+ years of adventure
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