Land Cruiser turns 60

The Toyota Land Cruiser was unveiled 60 years ago as the Toyota BJ on 1st August 1951. Originally the vehicle served as a military model but over the years it has been transformed into anything from a practical and luxurious 4x4 (in Amazon specification), to a hard working model that has accompanied explorers across some of the most inhospitable land known to man.

The blend of rugged ‘go anywhere’ ability, reliability and practicality has seen it grow a loyal following and become a sales success. It has been sold in over 190 countries and it has attracted over 6 million customers in the last 60 years.

The first ‘BJ’ Land Cruiser was based on the SB-type truck chassis and it was the first vehicle to be driven to the 6th station of Mount Fuji at an altitude of 2500 metres. In 1955 the ‘BJ’ series was given the generic name ‘Land Cruiser’ that it retains today.

Through the 1950’s and 1960’s the Land Cruiser name became synonymous with quality as it dominated markets in Africa and South America, removing market share from its nemesis, the Land Rover.

Today the Toyota Land Cruiser is a different kind of vehicle to that released in 1951. But it still retains the core values of reliability and off road ability. It is these values that should see the model prosper in the future.