Toyota is bringing the content for its 2023 Japan Mobility Show showcase that includes an all-electric Land Cruiser SUV concept that could either be a serious contender to duke it out with competing three-row EVs or just a premature look for things to come.
The Toyota Land Cruiser “Se” has an angular boat-like appearance with a long hood, swooping windshield, and rounded rear end with a visor taillight design. The seven-seater concept also comes with some size specs: it has a 120.08-inch wheelbase and is 202.76 inches long, 78.35 wide, and 67.13 tall. It’s got a wider stance and a shorter height than the real gas-powered 2024 Land Cruiser, which has a wheelbase of about 112 inches.
The extra space between the wheels likely accounts for a battery, and the rest of the design seems built to prioritize aerodynamics, down to the digital side view mirror cameras. Toyota says that the quietness of EVs “helps create a comfortable cabin space when driving in urban areas,” a general benefit of electric cars that the automaker points out in seemingly child-like wonder as it revisits its EV strategy.
Toyota also says the Land Cruiser Se can handle rough terrain, which is good news for fans of the classic gas off-roader despite the concept EV looking like your next unassuming Uber XL ride to the airport.
In addition to the Se, Toyota has a concept midsize electric pickup truck called the EPU, which is designed for outdoor activities and has a cabin that can open to the deck. With a 199.61-inch length and 75.2-inch width, the truck has a dreamed-up design that’s leaner than Rivian’s R1T recreational pickup, which is something you can actually buy.
Toyota has two personal transport vehicles it’s presenting at the show, including a “Land Hopper” foldable electric trike with leaning front wheels for easy turning and a powered “Juu” wheelchair that can go up and down stairs. And for those who are looking to blast off of Earth, Toyota has a Space mobility prototype designed to traverse rocky extraterrestrial bodies. The two-seater space ATV tech will go into the automaker’s future Lunar Cruiser vehicle it’s developing.
Toyota would also like you to check out its new Neo Steer cockpit concept that the company says could help “foster greater love for cars, and deliver the joy and excitement of mobility for all.” It’s inspired by motorcycles and lets you control acceleration and braking with levers — similar to accessibility mods for real-world vehicles. Toyota previously also prototyped fake manual transmissions as it found ways to make EVs more interesting to no one.
Right now, Toyota’s electric Land Cruiser seems like the company’s first realistic look at a large electric family hauler, and it comes at a time when other automakers are rushing to fill the segment. Right now, there are a lot of eyes on Hyundai’s EV9 three-row EV that’s nearing delivery and isn’t entirely priced out of reach. All Toyota has to do is not make bad EVs and actually make this Land Cruiser.