Frankfurt show: Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series to remain

UNLIKE rugged off-roaders such as the Land Rover Defender and Nissan Y61 Patrol that succumbed to tightening global safety and emissions regulations, Toyota’s iconic 70 Series LandCruiser will remain safe from extinction according to its chief engineer Sadayoshi Koyari.

“As long a there are customers that need the car, I think we will also produce the 70 Series,” Koyari-san told GoAuto at the Frankfurt motor show this week.

But addressing issues such as the difference in track widths between the LC70’s front and rear axles or the lack of curtain airbags on any variant other than the single-cab are not a priority.

Kyoari-san, who is also responsible for engineering the LandCruiser 200 Series, 150 Series Prado range and their Lexus equivalents, said handling issues caused by the offset track should be ironed out by last year’s addition of electronic stability control on all LC70 variants.

“I know about this issue, however with the vehicle stability control that we implemented as standard in Australia, the stability should be much more improved,” he said.

“Right at the moment we are not thinking about changing the (rear axle) hardware itself.”

Kyoari-san added that problems caused by drivers disabling the safety electronics were “a responsibility matter of the user”.

He said it was “possible” to implement curtain airbags on more LC70 body-styles but was “not sure” it would go ahead.

In addition to gaining stability control, last October’s LandCruiser 70 Series update included engine and transmission revisions to reduce emissions and increase fuel-efficiency while volume-selling single-cab variants received comprehensive structural upgrades plus curtain and knee airbags to boost the model’s three-star ANCAP crash-test safety rating to a fleet-friendly five stars.

Apart from stability control, the double-cab, wagon and troop carrier’s safety equipment and structure were not altered and these variants remain unrated by ANCAP.

LC70 sales in Australia were up 18.1 per cent to the end of August, with 5607 deliveries.