Next-gen Toyota Land Cruiser May Lose the V8

With the new-generation Toyota Land Cruiser currently in the works, rumor has it that the brand is dropping the V8 engine from the model. Instead, the SUV will be carrying the turbo V6 and a possible hybrid option.

While the brand says it is still too early to talk about details of the upcoming Land Cruiser, industry experts have reason to believe that the current 4.5-liter V8 turbo-diesel and 4.6-liter V8 petrol will be phased out due to stricter global emissions standards.

Toyota remains mum on whether the Land Cruiser will indeed lose the V8. But at the recent launch of the new Toyota Hiace van in Australia, head of product planning and development, Bernard Nadal, touched on the issue.

“You would see most brands are shifting down from V8s whether it be petrol or diesel configurations. It’s generally in the pursuit of greater efficiencies and to reduce CO2 emissions, so that’s the global trend,” he said.

But what does this mean for American consumers?

The United States’ emissions standards are patterned after Europe’s standards the same way that Australia’s are. So if the V8 engine cannot survive the European or the Australian market, it likely won’t be able to survive in the United States either.

Toyota, however, insists that even if a shift to V6 and hybrid technology is inevitable for the Land Cruiser, the SUV will keep its off-road and towing capability.

According to the company, the hybrid take-up of Toyota models is “going very, very well” in Europe, Australia, and America.

Toyota has not confirmed when the new Land Cruiser will be revealed. But if the brand is working on releasing a hybrid version of every model by 2025, it likely won’t take long before the model officially drops the V8 engine and go hybrid.