The iconic Toyota FJ Cruiser is still on sale in South Africa and the Philippines – more than five years after it left Australian and US showrooms, and after its 15-year run in the Middle East is just now coming to an end.
Still want to buy a brand-new Toyota FJ Cruiser? It’s possible, but you will need to move to South Africa or the Philippines.
Proving that even retro-LandCruisers can outlast modern rivals, Toyota has kept the FJ Cruiser in production in Japan more than five years after it left Australian and US showrooms.
Now the Toyota FJ Cruiser has reached the end of the line in the Middle East after a 15-year run, with the company commemorating the model with a special ‘Final Edition’ (pictured).
The FJ Cruiser went into production for left-hand drive markets in 2006 as a tribute to Toyota’s early FJ-series LandCruiser from the 1970s.
Despite the old-school appearance, it shared its chassis and mechanical components with the then-new Toyota LandCruiser Prado.
Right-hand drive production of the Toyota FJ Cruiser began in 2011, with exports from Japan to Australia starting later in the year – continuing for five years until 2016.
While reports at the time claimed the FJ Cruiser’s exit from Australia coincided with the end of right-hand drive production, Toyota’s Hamura factory in Japan continued to produce the vehicle in right-hand-drive for South Africa – alongside left-hand drive exports to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Philippines.
In a media statement, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors – a Toyota dealer in Saudi Arabia and the UAE – announced the Toyota FJ Cruiser is due to be discontinued in December 2022, with a Final Edition set to celebrate the end of its 15-year life in the Middle East.
According to Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, the Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition will be fitted with a gloss black grille, front and rear bumpers, mirrors, door handles and spare tyre cover.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition’s black highlights will be complemented by beige exterior paint, interior upholstery and dashboard trim.
Additional equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels (not pictured) and side steps.
Abdul Latif Jameel Motors has not released photos of its FJ Cruiser Final Edition, although the changes are identical to the Toyota’s Japanese Final Edition from 2017 (pictured).
No mechanical changes are set to be made to the Final Edition, with the Toyota FJ Cruiser retaining its 4.0-litre, V6 petrol engine, developing 200kW and 380Nm.
Sold exclusively in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Toyota FJ Cruiser Final Edition will be limited to 1000 examples, fitted with a commemorative plaque on the dashboard. Pricing is yet to be announced.
In Australia, 12,170 examples of the Toyota FJ Cruiser were sold between 2011 and 2017 priced from $46,990 plus on-road costs.
According to US website The Auto Channel, Toyota sold more than 222,000 FJ Cruisers globally from 2006 until 2014.
While 56,225 FJ Cruisers were sold in its first year in the US, sales took a steep dive when the Global Financial Crisis hit in 2008, plummeting to 28,688 examples two years after its launch.
After 2008, the Toyota FJ Cruiser did not exceed 15,000 annual sales in the US.
Toyota continues to sell the FJ Cruiser in the Philippines, pricing the SUV from 2,293,000 Philippine pesos – equivalent to about $60,000 in Australian currency.
Despite right-hand drive imports of the FJ Cruiser to Australia ending in 2016, the model is sold in South Africa, priced from 797,100 South African rand – approximately $68,700 in Australia.
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