The sales of Toyota Motor Corp.'s sports utility vehicle Land Cruiser surpassed 10 million units worldwide, as of the end of August, the company said.
The model achieved sales of over 10 million units 68 years after its launch in 1951 and is highly trusted as a four-wheel-drive that utilizes distinctive suspension technology, which enables it to run on uneven rough roads or in a desert.
As of the end of August, Land Cruiser sales totaled about 10.015 million units worldwide. The model is sold in about 170 countries and regions. By region, the Middle East topped sales in 2018 with about 132,000 units, which accounts for about one-third of total sales of about 379,000 units. Europe and Oceania follow the Middle East with about 54,000 units and about 46,000 units, respectively. In Japan, about 30,000 units were sold in 2018.
The history of the Land Cruiser dates back to August 1950, when Toyota was asked by U.S. forces and the National Police Reserve (predecessor of the Self-Defense Forces) to develop a four-wheel-drive vehicle. At the request, Toyota began development, and in August 1951, it launched the Jeep BJ. However, since "Jeep" is a registered trademark of another U.S. company, it changed the name to Land Cruiser in 1954. As its name suggests, the vehicle is built for cruising the land.
Yasuo Kusakebe, former chairman of the Automobile Journalist Association of Japan, said, "Land Cruiser gains confidence as a vehicle that will not break, even under continuous running in a desert or cold regions. While the society is moving towards next-generation technologies such as electric vehicles or self-driving cars, the sale of the model has increased, which is surprising."
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