Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series sales paused for at least six more months

Toyota Australia has confirmed that 70 Series ute and wagon order books will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

At the time of the initial official announcement in August, the brand’s Australian arm didn’t give an exact length on order pauses.

Six months is the most recent figure quoted, but executives told Wheels the order lag could end up being even longer, due to ongoing supply constraints.

4

“We’ve paused that car. It’s part of the transparency for the customers. I wouldn’t see that car coming off [pause] for the next six months at least, and maybe beyond that”, said vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley.

“If we can improve [70 Series] production then certainly, but until we clear the current order bank, we can’t do that.”

Australia is the biggest global market for the Japanese-built 70 Series LandCruiser. It’s a popular choice in mining and commercial fleets, but a recent boom in off-roader sales has also seen the 76 Series wagon becoming a more popular choice for recreational off-roaders.

4

How big is the order bank?

Citing commercial reasons, Hanley declined to put an exact figure on the current number of orders in.

But with currently over a year’s wait, looking at the sales figures gives an indication of exactly how much hunger there is for the 70 Series.

In 2021, Toyota delivered 12,077 examples of 79 Series single and dual-cab LandCruisers in Australia. Year-to-date in 2022, Toyota has delivered a further 9083 examples.

4

Running the numbers, the 70 Series order bank is likely in excess of 10,000 cars, with potential as many as 15,000 backordered.

For those who are still keen to put their name down, Mr Hanley said that while expressions of interest are open at dealers to get in the queue, the brand can’t take any orders, again citing transparent customer relations as the reason.