CONFIRMED! Reliable sources state 2014 will be the last FJC Model year

[haven]

I think the 4Runner as we know it may not survive the redesign in a couple of years. With government mandates to improve fuel economy, and the general improvement of road conditions around the world, the need for a heavy body on frame vehicle has decreased. That's certainly true in USA, where the RAV4 and Highlander sell in much larger numbers than the 4Runner.

The 4Runner and FJ Cruiser are built in Japan, so there is an extra cost to transporting and importing them. If Toyota wants to continue to sell a body on frame SUV, maybe they should build an SUV version of the Tacoma. That would take the 4Runner back to its roots in the 1980s.

 

[Lecoq]

I think the 4Runner as we know it may not survive the redesign in a couple of years. With government mandates to improve fuel economy, and the general improvement of road conditions around the world, the need for a heavy body on frame vehicle has decreased. That's certainly true in USA, where the RAV4 and Highlander sell in much larger numbers than the 4Runner.

The 4Runner and FJ Cruiser are built in Japan, so there is an extra cost to transporting and importing them. If Toyota wants to continue to sell a body on frame SUV, maybe they should build an SUV version of the Tacoma. That would take the 4Runner back to its roots in the 1980s.

Interesting way to look at it. It's probably just a question of time before we see them built in the USA or gone all together. The import costs and duty alone make it hard for Toyota to cater to such a small market.

I still don't understand why we have yet to have a globalization of vehicles by now. If everything was built to one standard it would be more beneficial to everyone. Car makers wouldn't have to change vehicle lines for different markets and consumers would have a much better choice. I'd love to have a diesel SUV.

 

[Flagster]

Well this should raise the value of my FJ even more!!! Woohoo!!

sure...keep the miles under 50K...stock...original paint...just park it in your garage and wait 40 years...sounds like a lot of fun

 

[Mo Betta]

Great News! I cant wait for the Toyota Highlander Trail Edition :smiley_drive:

 

[haven]

Let's face it, the soul of Toyota is found in the Corolla, not the Land Cruiser.

 

[boxing kangaroo]

I love my 2008 FJC and I have put so much money and time into it i hate to think about it.

It would be sad if they stopped producing the FJ Cruiser altogether rather than just updating. However I am excited to see what they release instead of the FJ and 4runner. I would jump ship in a heart beat if it was a 200 series diesel even the pimped out leather seat 200 as long as it was a diesel and i would totally freak if it was the 70 however i know that is just a dream.

I also have a 78' FJ40 that i will never part with and was the reason i brought the cruiser in the first place.

 

[xCSx]

I hope it stays! we've been hearing about the death of the FJ every year its been out.

 

[Clutch]

. . . and they are replacing it with the VDJ76 Land Cruiser

(one can dream)

Thought there is talk of discontinuing the 70 series too.

Link

As for the FJ, never did really like that thing. Like the 4Runners, but could live with a Prado with a diesel and manual transmission.

 

[Mrknowitall]

Toyota simply has too many SUV type products, both globally and in the US. Just off the top of my head:
RAV4- just renewed, sells well & will continue.
Venza- costs more than the Highlander, and although its a nice vehicle, it has failed to meet sales targets. It will quietly disappear.
RX- Practically pioneered the segement. The market is much more crowded with really good compeditors today.
Fortuner- Is based on the (Hilux) N70 platform, which is due for replacement, along with the 120 based Tacoma. Since both are supposed to share architecture, I can't see the Fortuner continuing as a completely seperate model.
FJC- started life on the 120 group, but has been partially migrated ofer to 150. Either way, the chassis is obsolete. CAFE will put the final nail in the coffin, as it cannot continue as is. There is no business case to redo it (sadly)
4Runner- one of the oldest name plates in the segment, and one of the last to still use serious hard parts. It has the same challenges as the FJC, especially since it competes directly with the LC150 where its sold outside the US and Canada.
LC150/Prado/GX- will continue through its model cycle. Same goes for anything else named Land Cruiser. Since its already federalized as the GX, perhaps we could get an Africa spec version for Toyota.
Highlander- just renewed, sells well & will continue.
LC200/LX570- I would be surprised if the LC200 continues in the US much longer. Canada already gets by with just the LX570.
Sequoia- If it weren't for moderate Middle East sales of these, it would already be gone. For now it will continue as long as the current Tundra.
The FJC was US market only until recently, and still offers only the 1GR for power- that makes it unattractive in much of the world. The price has crept up steadily. While you get what you pay for, I would love to see Toyota do something that actually starts in the low 20's and can be had truly stripped.
I've heard a while ago from a friend on the inside that the 4Runner might not get renewed.

 

[Rallyroo]

Let's face it, the soul of Toyota is found in the Corolla, not the Land Cruiser.

The last Corolla with a soul was the 1985 Corolla GT-S.

 

[Colonal Angus]

Thought there is talk of discontinuing the 70 series too.

Link

As for the FJ, never did really like that thing. Like the 4Runners, but could live with a Prado with a diesel and manual transmission.

View attachment 160777

That Prado is bada$$! I'm negotiating right now on a gx460. If I was negotiating the less-expensive Prado variant, the deal would be done already.

If/when Toyota does kill off the FJC, I'd like to see them come up with a direct Wrangler competitor. Toyota could've done a lot with the FJC but fell short, I feel. Why no removable top (soft or hard)? Why so expensive...make them base model vehicles with a base model price (low $20k). IMO, it should've had more heritage, more resemblance of the FJ40.

 

[Clutch]

That Prado is bada$$! I'm negotiating right now on a gx460. If I was negotiating the less-expensive Prado variant, the deal would be done already.

Here is a link to that Prado: Link

Too bad we can't the stripped down model, like the rest of the world.

If/when Toyota does kill off the FJC, I'd like to see them come up with a direct Wrangler competitor. Toyota could've done a lot with the FJC but fell short, I feel. Why no removable top (soft or hard)? Why so expensive...make them base model vehicles with a base model price (low $20k). IMO, it should've had more heritage, more resemblance of the FJ40.

Yeah that would be cool, I talked about that in another thread somewheres on here. Not sure why they don't do that(?) Maybe the same argument why Ford won't
bring the new Ranger here, it will cut into F150 sales...t I would think taking sales away from Toyota would be a good thing...well that is another thread.

 

[SouthPawXJ]

If/when Toyota does kill off the FJC, I'd like to see them come up with a direct Wrangler competitor. Toyota could've done a lot with the FJC but fell short, I feel. Why no removable top (soft or hard)? Why so expensive...make them base model vehicles with a base model price (low $20k). IMO, it should've had more heritage, more resemblance of the FJ40.

Yeah that would be cool, I talked about that in another thread somewheres on here. Not sure why they don't do that(?) Maybe the same argument why Ford won't
bring the new Ranger here, it will cut into F150 sales...t I would think taking sales away from Toyota would be a good thing...well that is another thread.

If they built the vehicle here, then it would be more possible to meet the low $20k price bogey. You would need signficant volume at that price, and I don't think Toyota could get to the required number of units (~100,000) to justify an FJ40-type vehicle, unless they share a significant amount of parts with another vehicle in the lineup. If they build it overseas, it may be subjected to the chicken tax. There are many ways around the chicken tax though...

If they made it a high-profit premium vehicle (which would drive the cost up), toyota could get by with smaller volumes.

 

[haven]

"If they made it a high-profit premium vehicle (which would drive the cost up), toyota could get by with smaller volumes."

That's why the Land Cruiser / Lexus LX570 is worth the effort to sell here. Toyota sells about 600 Land Cruisers and LX570s each month at $80K each.

Toyota sells tons of RAV4, about 15,000 a month. Highlander, about 10K/month. 4Runner, about 4000. The Venza, which is Toyota's answer to the Subaru Outback, is in fourth place, about 3000 a month. FJ Cruiser is far behind at about 900 a month.

 

[Martinjmpr]

The Venza isn't even an SUV. For that matter, niether is the RAV4 or the Highlander. Technically they're car-based "crossovers" but in terms of where they fit into the market, they appeal to the same market segment that 40 years ago would have bought station wagons and 25 years ago would have bought mini-vans.

So to the question "Does Toyota make too many SUVs?" the answer is "no", because the only real SUVs Toyota offers are the Land Cruiser, the FJC and the 4runner. Actually, you could probably put the DC Taco into that mix as well, I'd bet that most DC tacos are used as family haulers or daily drivers rather than trucks.

For whatever reason (fashion, fad, changing views on cars) the terms "wagon" or "station wagon" are considered poisonous in terms of auto marketing (I guess too many people think of Clark Griswold's "Family Truckster" in avocado green with fake wood paneling.)

Even though the term "wagon" became anathema to the auto market, people still need a multi-purpose vehicle that can perform the functions of a wagon, hence the mini-van was born in the 80's.

But then, the mini-van got its stodgy mom's taxi rap in the 90's and so the "crossover" was born, basically a minivan/station wagon with deniability. "I'm not driving to soccer practice, I'm going on safari! See, I even have a spare tire on the back door!"