300 series rumors??? (3 Viewers)

[TonyP]

Most folks here: "Toyota is dumb and doesn't know what the people want"

Yet:

Toyota tops GM sales in the U.S., expected to be America's bestselling automaker

The last time GM wasn't the bestselling automaker for a quarter in the U.S. was when Ford outsold them in the third quarter of 1998, Edmunds reports.

www.cnbc.com

 

[azstreamer]

Introduction of a new series is the perfect time to reward geographic areas for their purchase history and let the loss leaders go. Same principal is used on the allocation of new Toyotas to their dealers, the ones selling the most last month get a bigger share this month.

I am late to the Land Cruiser world. This forum has had many recent posts about the sales for the last two years being around 3,000 Land Cruisers per year. That’s is not enough volume to justify the huge costs associated with bringing a new model 300 here. They have to provide at least three to our testing facility at no cost for the facility to destroy and then issue a permit for more units to arrive.

Rolls Royce probably does not sell that many units per year here either, but at prices over $250,000 each, perhaps it is more viable as many of our Uber rich have more than one, just like with Ferraris and Maseratis.

For me, the relatively low price to acquire a limited production LC was wonderful.

I just returned from Indiana where one dealer in Indianapolis has acquired all 30+ LC units in his five state sales area. By the way, the “premium” added to the sticker price is getting bigger with every passing day. These surcharges make my “list” price seem like a bargain.

Also, the 4Runners are scarce as well with premiums being added to list price. We ordered in early spring three 2021 4Runner Venture Special Editions for three of my wife’s daughters. List price is the norm. The third unit is at the port in Seattle and will be delivered in late July after the train ride to Chicago where the accessories are installed and then trucked to the local dealership. Said dealer got a different model 4Runner in on a dealer trade and there is a $3,000 premium added.

Folks in the know are aware that the next model year 4Runners will lack the current V6 and frame and are not pleased at the idea of a small displacement engine with turbo charger(s) similiar to the Tundra getting a 3.44L V6 with twin turbos.

 

[chemguys]

They have to provide at least three to our testing facility at no cost for the facility to destroy and then issue a permit for more units to arrive.

2022 Toyota Land Cruisers destroyed in car carrier crash - Autoblog

It proves Land Cruisers are not, in fact, indesctructible

www.autoblog.com

 

[thatcabledude]

Most folks here: "Toyota is dumb and doesn't know what the people want"

Yet:

Toyota tops GM sales in the U.S., expected to be America's bestselling automaker

The last time GM wasn't the bestselling automaker for a quarter in the U.S. was when Ford outsold them in the third quarter of 1998, Edmunds reports.

www.cnbc.com

Cool to hear, but check back next year. As far as I'm concerned any metric regarding anything for the last year is skewed from "reality"

 

[SwissEd]

Greetings,
Anyone have any info if the LC300 will come to Europe? Contacting Toyota UK provides no info-- this forum seems more informed than local Toyota. The last iteration here of a LC came with only a 2.8L diesel. Wouldn't trade my HDJ100 4.2TD for that....and it is now only 16 years old (just breaking in...)

 

[azstreamer]

I have read that the UK and Europe were off of the most favored list like the USA so may not see a Series 300 at all.

 

[Vasiliy]

I have read that the UK and Europe were off of the most favored list like the USA so may not see a Series 300 at all.

We already have preorder in Russia, I bet we are not considered Europe

 

[OGBeno]

We already have preorder in Russia, I bet we are not considered Europe

For vehicle sales purposes, Russia and the former Soviet bloc countries are grouped together. But they still are a part of Toyota Europe for the most part.

 

[Jurwin]

Azerbaijan spec land cruiser 300​

 

[Jetboy]

Introduction of a new series is the perfect time to reward geographic areas for their purchase history and let the loss leaders go. Same principal is used on the allocation of new Toyotas to their dealers, the ones selling the most last month get a bigger share this month.

I am late to the Land Cruiser world. This forum has had many recent posts about the sales for the last two years being around 3,000 Land Cruisers per year. That’s is not enough volume to justify the huge costs associated with bringing a new model 300 here. They have to provide at least three to our testing facility at no cost for the facility to destroy and then issue a permit for more units to arrive.

Rolls Royce probably does not sell that many units per year here either, but at prices over $250,000 each, perhaps it is more viable as many of our Uber rich have more than one, just like with Ferraris and Maseratis.

For me, the relatively low price to acquire a limited production LC was wonderful.

I just returned from Indiana where one dealer in Indianapolis has acquired all 30+ LC units in his five state sales area. By the way, the “premium” added to the sticker price is getting bigger with every passing day. These surcharges make my “list” price seem like a bargain.

Also, the 4Runners are scarce as well with premiums being added to list price. We ordered in early spring three 2021 4Runner Venture Special Editions for three of my wife’s daughters. List price is the norm. The third unit is at the port in Seattle and will be delivered in late July after the train ride to Chicago where the accessories are installed and then trucked to the local dealership. Said dealer got a different model 4Runner in on a dealer trade and there is a $3,000 premium added.

Folks in the know are aware that the next model year 4Runners will lack the current V6 and frame and are not pleased at the idea of a small displacement engine with turbo charger(s) similiar to the Tundra getting a 3.44L V6 with twin turbos.

I don't think they were ever limited production. Just low interest/demand. They sold for well under MSRP for the entire production cycle until the last year. Dealers didn't want them sitting for months or years.

Next 4 runner will share the same platform as the lc300. So the frame isn't going away. I'm not sure the turbo 4 will be a downgrade from the ancient V6. I hope not. 4R might not be highway legal if it has any less power. Current rumor is turbo 4 and hybrid with at least limited EV drive mode. Supposedly the model may be delayed until 2024 as a result of a change to bigger battery system and tuning for the electric drive. Best guess is it'll be a Prime model or something like that. Could be great off road if the system is done properly. Makes water crossing a non issue. I can't imagine that the lc300 won't have a similar system.

 

[COYS]

In the IFS LC world, newest is best. I love everything except the lack of split rear tail gate on the 300.

I'd sell stuff now to get my hands on a black GRS (if only I didn't live in the States).

 

[HighRanch]

I don't think they were ever limited production. Just low interest/demand. They sold for well under MSRP for the entire production cycle until the last year. Dealers didn't want them sitting for months or years.

Next 4 runner will share the same platform as the lc300. So the frame isn't going away. I'm not sure the turbo 4 will be a downgrade from the ancient V6. I hope not. 4R might not be highway legal if it has any less power. Current rumor is turbo 4 and hybrid with at least limited EV drive mode. Supposedly the model may be delayed until 2024 as a result of a change to bigger battery system and tuning for the electric drive. Best guess is it'll be a Prime model or something like that. Could be great off road if the system is done properly. Makes water crossing a non issue. I can't imagine that the lc300 won't have a similar system.

A vehicle for which the manufacturer has established a limit on the number units to be produced, without regard to the maximum number the manufacturer may be able to sell is how limited production is defined. Not sure where you live in the states or what your regional economy is, but I don't ever remember seeing LC's sitting on lots in Colorado....

 

[Jetboy]

A vehicle for which the manufacturer has established a limit on the number units to be produced, without regard to the maximum number the manufacturer may be able to sell is how limited production is defined. Not sure where you live in the states or what your regional economy is, but I don't ever remember seeing LC's sitting on lots in Colorado....

I think that most dealers would not order them unless they were either pre sold or in a market where they think they could sell them. They generally would sell right around invoice for most of the years of 200 series. You can look back on this forum and find discussions of what people were paying. I don't think it was ever difficult to have one allocated. Obviously the sales were well below what Toyota hoped- thus the discontinuation. The dealer association told Toyota that they wanted the nameplate but they didn't want the product they were currently selling as a land cruiser. That's not something you would typically see for a supply limited product that was hard to get.

I'm not aware of the production of being limited. Obviously excluding the last year or so of production, because once they tell suppliers to stop producing parts for them there is only going to be a limited number left they can make.

None of those things make the Land cruiser 200 a bad vehicle. It's a great vehicle. But I don't think exclusivity or limited production was one of its selling points.

 

[Mbarron37]

I think that most dealers would not order them unless they were either pre sold or in a market where they think they could sell them. They generally would sell right around invoice for most of the years of 200 series. You can look back on this forum and find discussions of what people were paying. I don't think it was ever difficult to have one allocated. Obviously the sales were well below what Toyota hoped- thus the discontinuation. The dealer association told Toyota that they wanted the nameplate but they didn't want the product they were currently selling as a land cruiser. That's not something you would typically see for a supply limited product that was hard to get.

I'm not aware of the production of being limited. Obviously excluding the last year or so of production, because once they tell suppliers to stop producing parts for them there is only going to be a limited number left they can make.

None of those things make the Land cruiser 200 a bad vehicle. It's a great vehicle. But I don't think exclusivity or limited production was one of its selling points.

Here in Massachusetts where I live, it was not uncommon to see Landcruisers sit on lots for six months. They just didn’t sell all that well at the dealers in my general area.

They did sell for invoice, without any haggling. Today, as supply dwindles to zero, pricing is insane, but not indicative of overall pricing for the past decade.

 

[Jetboy]

Here in Massachusetts where I live, it was not uncommon to see Landcruisers sit on lots for six months. They just didn’t sell all that well at the dealers in my general area.

They did sell for invoice, without any haggling. Today, as supply dwindles to zero, pricing is insane, but not indicative of overall pricing for the past decade.

I think it was in 2015ish that Toyota restricted dealers from offering below invoice. Everything Toyota 4x4 is crazy high price right now. Tundras - with a known new model coming in a few months - still going for $5-10k over MSRP? 4Runners with $25k "market adjustments" over MSRP - it's madness.

 

[cruiserdan]

I think it was in 2015ish that Toyota restricted dealers from offering below invoice.

Please cite your source. I never heard of that at the time. In any event I am suspect as such a stance could be construed as price-fixing.

 

[Jetboy]

Please cite your source. I never heard of that at the time. In any event I am suspect as such a stance could be construed as price-fixing.

I don't know first hand. Just what I read in the news. Here's 3 sources:

Toyota will ban ads below invoice

Toyota is preparing to ban dealerships from advertising vehicles at below-invoice prices, in line with a similar policy at Honda. Toyota-brand dealers are giving the plan mixed reviews.

www.autonews.com

Toyota to Enforce Below-Invoice Pricing in Dealer Ads

Taking a page from the Honda playbook, Toyota announced it will implement penalties on dealers that advertise below-invoice pricing on its vehicles.

www.autopublishers.com

Toyota Could Ban Dealers From Advertising Below Invoice Price

Toyota set to follow Honda's lead.

www.google.com

Edit: fwiw I'm not sure the minimum advertising covenants would make a huge difference in the price of the Land cruiser or the likelihood that dealers would stock them. There's only so low the dealer can sell a car at and still make money. For the Land cruiser to go much cheaper Toyota would have had to lower the dealer cost or some pretty big back end money to convince dealers to put them on the floor. The price and product combination was just never going to move very many units regardless of supply availability.

 

[cruiserdan]

In my 30+ years exposed to Toyota as a dealer employee, I do not recall any incentives applied to Land Cruisers. Of course I could be mistaken.

 

[ToothDr]

In my 30+ years exposed to Toyota as a dealer employee, I do not recall any incentives applied to Land Cruisrrs. Of course I could be mistaken.

Agreed. In the 80’s and 90’s if a dealer was lucky enough to get a land cruiser it didn’t stay on the lot long. Many were pre ordered and sold for sticker and in some cases above sticker with the 80 series. That was the case with our 87 FJ 60, our 90 and 94 80 series. My 21 200 series was the first land cruiser I got a significant discount on. No official incentive from Toyota.

 

[Jetboy]

In my 30+ years exposed to Toyota as a dealer employee, I do not recall any incentives applied to Land Cruisers. Of course I could be mistaken.

Probably fair to say there won't be any going forward. Although Lexus has a lease incentive rate right now on the LX. So maybe there's still one left.

I don't think a typical Toyota $500 incentive would move the needle much. I'm not sure $5k would have been enough.