Time's up for 200 Series? Toyota Japan about to stop building V8-powered Land Cruiser as 300 Series looms - reports

The bell might have finally tolled for one of Australia's oldest models, with Japanese reports claiming production is about to cease on the V8-powered Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series.

While it's unclear as to whether the Japanese media is referring exclusively to local production - but we will contact Toyota Australia and update this story accordingly - there is little doubt the clock has been ticking on the 200 Series for some time.

Essentially, the closer the 300 Series gets, the closer the 200 Series gets to its own demise. And with fresh reports out of Japan that Toyota will be releasing the new version of its iconic off-roader in April, the outgoing model is now almost done with.

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The wait is almost over! This is when Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series pricing, spec, and diesel engine detail will drop - reports

According to Japanese media, production on the 200 Series is about to finis at the end of March, ahead of the 300 Series going into production in May.

The site quotes a Toyota dealer in Japan who told it "LandCruiser orders ended in January 2021. However, due to the long delivery time, the last vehicle ordered will be produced in late March 2021."

"In that case, the new LandCruiser will start full-scale production around May. For Prado, we are currently accepting orders as usual."

If the reports are accurate - and they should be - it means Australia's sales resurgence for the 200 Series is almost over.

Read More: Who will be left to buy the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series? V8 frenzy continues

Who will be left to buy the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series? V8 frenzy continues

As reported in CarsGuide, some 1326 LC200s were sold in February, up 16 per cent on the month before, and a huge 49.2 per cent year-to-date. More impressive, the ageing icon shifted 15,000 units in 2020, too, up from around 13000 units in 2019.

The boom was thought to be driven both by the increase in national holidaying thanks to border closures, and reports the new 300 Series will ditch the V8 diesel in favour of a six-cylinder diesel.

But it seems at least one of those things will soon be coming to an end.