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Toyota's all-electric LandCruiser 70 Series could find its way into dealers, with the brand's executives flagging the consumer potential of the battery-powered off-roader.
While the 70 Series EV program if currently reserved for BHP, part of a pilot program that Toyota says will lead to them doing "something more for more customers", a consumer-facing future is well and truly on the cards for the electrified icon.
"We've delivered one vehicle so far to BHP as far as a pilot and testing project," Toyota Australia's General Manager of Product Planning and Development, Rod Ferguson, told CarsGuide.
"And part of that is co-development - they’re interested in emissions reduction, vibration reduction, they want to see how the range works, and how it works with a daily load.
"So we can get feedback to level up, with the intention of at some point, timing not known...to do something more for more customers."
While in the short term those customers will likely be other mining outfits, it's also "definitely possible" that it will also include regular Toyota buyers, who could pick up an all-electric 70 Series from their local dealership.
Asked directly if a time will come when the 70 Series EV will appear in Toyota dealerships, Mr Ferguson replied: "It’s definitely possible, and there’s definite demand for a product like that. I reckon that’s a possibility at some point, but the timeframe is unknown."
We do know that Toyota globally has a lazer-focus on its broader BEV roll-out - including its just revealed bZ4X mid-size SUV.
For now, the all-electric 70 Series is limited to the BHP pilot program, which has seen the 151kW/430Nm 4.5-litre turbo-diesel V8 engine swapped out for a still mysterious battery and electric motor combination.
The critical work is carried out by a third-party company, but the giant Japanese auto maker is on hand to "Toyota-ise" the work, and help with engineering.
"We’re using another company with a conversion kit, and we’re working with that company to engineer enhancements within that project, so we’re kind of Toyota-ising that application if you like, so it’s very different to someone buying a car off us and putting a kit in it," Mr Ferguson said.
