The Toyota TJ Cruiser Concept for Japan appeared before the audiences in 2017 and had initially been scheduled to launch last fall, but the production was delayed due to unspecified reasons. Today, Toyota announced the reveal timeframe: March 2020.
The production SUV stays true to its prototype in terms of exterior styling and even keeps the same sliding rear doors. It should prove rather flexible – after all, you could put luggage up to 3 meters / 10 feet long inside into the concept car. As for the creatively shaped steering wheel and dashboard, as well as the scratch-resistant body coating, none of these purely ‘designer’ features should make it into production.
The TJ Cruiser will be available in five- and seven-seater configurations and ship with a 2.0-liter non-turbo engine and two hybrid powertrains (1.8 and 2.5). It will also boast the AWD system borrowed from the RAV4 series, which will be a paid option.
What remains unclear is whether Toyota will ever sell its TJ Cruiser range outside of Japan or not.