Cut-price LandCruiser FJ locked out of Australia? Is Toyota about to make its first big mistake by ignoring new cheap 4WD?

Toyota Australia appears poised to make what could be its first LandCruiser mistake, with the brand showing little interest in the reported LandCruiser FJ and suggesting it doesn't appear in any Australian model plans.

To recap, increasing reports point to the rumoured LandCruiser FJ entering production in November, ahead of an on-sale date in late 2024 or in early 2025.

Unlike the Prado and the LC300, the FJ will reportedly abandon the brand's advanced TNGA-F platform, instead adopting the latest iteration of Toyota's now-20-year-old IMV architecture which underpins the HiLux and Fortuner.

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That move is being reportedly made to keep costs down, with Japan's BestCar reporting that the FJ will be be priced below Fortuner in international markets, meaning a potential stating price of around $50k before on-road costs.

The LC300, on the other hand, kicks off at more than $90k in Australia, while the new Prado starts with an MSRP of $72,500, making the LandCruiser FJ something of a bargain.

That is if the model makes it to Australia. While the brand is yet to speak publicly on the reported new model, Toyota Australia has said it has no knowledge of FJ and that it's not a part of its local model plan.

Given the comments were made in April – just seven months before the reported start date for production – it would suggest Toyota has no plans for the FJ in Australia .

If it did, then the brand would know about the model and have launch planning and timing locked down – two things it says it definitely does not have in place.

"There you go, told me something I didn’t even know,” Toyota Australia's VP of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in April about the trademarking of the FJ nameplate in our market.

Toyota FJ render (Image: Thanos Pappas)

“(It) doesn’t surprise me because we trademark a lot of things. We may at some point want to use it again but there’s nothing that I’m aware of.”

Mr Hanley went on to say that he "doesn't go to bed at night dreaming of a smaller LandCruiser", before confirming it's not on Australia's model plan.

"Look, it may [happen] in the future. Because you know… we're going through a great transition in the automotive industry. You never rule stuff out," he said.

“Is there a product plan for it that I'm aware of in Australia? No.

“I don't go to bed at night wanting a smaller LandCruiser, no, but what I want and what others want can be quite apart so, if the market wants it, doesn't matter what I want.”

Is Australia about to miss out on a bargain-basement LandCruiser FJ? It certainly sounds like it.