The Compact Cruiser is likely to be a crossover
The Compact Cruiser takes styling cues from the first-gen Land Cruiser. But it looks very much like it runs on a car platform. And Toyota's description of the target buyer — "young, professional urban dwellers who enjoy active outdoor leisure interests" — screams crossover.
The Compact Cruiser offers all-wheel-drive
It's not too surprising given the off-road aesthetic. But Toyota says the Compact Cruiser appeals to those looking for a "go anywhere, all-wheel-drive experience." So a production version should come with AWD — if it's not standard.
The Compact Cruiser is already award-winning
Expect the Compact Cruiser EV to stay small
Toyota didn't get cute naming its EV concepts. The EV pickup was called the "Pickup EV." So Toyota including "compact" is probably a reference to body size. The Compact Cruiser EV also looks smaller than the Pickup EV, which looks like a midsize truck. Expect the Compact
Cruiser to be more of a Ford Bronco Sport than a Bronco fighter.
Will the Compact Cruiser be called the Land Cruiser?
We'd expect "Cruiser" to be in the production name somewhere. Something like "bZ Cruiser" could work pretty well. However, Toyota trademarked "Trailhunter" last year, so who knows.
The Compact Cruiser may be the FT-4X concept, but electric
When will the Compact Cruiser EV arrive?
Toyota has not yet revealed a launch date for the Compact Cruiser EV, but we expect it to be relatively soon. Toyota
promised to launch 15 new BEVS by 2025; Toyota revealed 15 new EV concepts back in December. So we'd bet the production Compact Cruiser will be on the road by then.
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Toyota has a long history of producing off-road capable SUVs. This includes the 4Runner, Land Cruiser, and FJ
Cruiser. However, the Land Cruiser was discontinued in the United States in 2022, and the last time the FJ Cruiser was sold in America was in 2014. As Toyota makes the move toward EVs, it aims to retain its edge for off-road SUVs. Enter the 2024 Toyota Compact Cruiser EV, also known as the LiteCruiser EV — an all-electric FJ Cruiser-style SUV. Find out what we know so far about the 2024 Toyota LightCruiser EV. Toyota hasn’t revealed much information about the 2024 LightCruiser EV SUV. However, we expect the Compact Cruiser EV to share powertrain components with some of the automaker’s upcoming
electric vehicles, such as a possible Tacoma EV pickup truck. Currently, the only electric vehicle that Toyota offers in the U.S. is the bZ4X crossover SUV. Given the off-road emphasis of the LightCruiser EV, it will undoubtedly offer an all-wheel drive system. This means that the Compact Cruiser EV will offer
at least two electric motors, with a motor for both the front and rear wheels. RELATED: 2023 Toyota 4Runner: Features, Specs, and New 40th Anniversary Model The 2024 Toyota LightCruiser was previewed as a concept model in December 2021, along with many other Toyota electric vehicles. Despite its relatively recent unveiling, the Compact Cruiser EV was already honored for its design. It won the 2022 Car Design Award for Concept Vehicles, as detailed by
Drive. The LightCruiser beat out a competitive field of other finalists, including the Porsche Mission R, Polestar O2, Audi Skysphere, and Lexus Electrified Sport. Fans of the FJ Cruiser will notice design similarities for the LightCruiser EV, including its boxy body, flat roof, upright A-pillars, and large windows. The Compact Cruiser also draws inspiration from the first-generation
Land Cruiser. RELATED: 2023 Toyota bZ4X EV: Price, Specs, and Overview2024 LightCruiser EV predicted specs: Electric powertrain and all-wheel drive system
Award-winning design of the 2024 LightCruiser EV