68 Years Later: Toyota Land Cruiser Sales Hit 10 Million

The legendary Toyota Land Cruiser has hit sales of over 10 million units after being on sale for 68 continuous years. The Land Cruiser is Toyota's longest selling model and an important part of the brand's DNA.

When the Land Cruiser debuted in 1951 as a mobility vehicle for Japan's National Police Reserve, it was a simple machine focused on tackling difficult terrain. Toyota was able to refine its Land Cruiser concept during the Korean conflict and had a model ready for export when the restrictions were lifted that year.

When the Land Cruiser BJ was introduced, Toyota used it to take on feats only previously possible on horseback. The Land Cruiser replicated a legendary Samurais climbed to the top of Mount Atago and followed in the traditional pilgrimage route to the sixth station on the top of Mount Fuji. These impressive feats help the Land Cruiser slowly phase out the Mitsubishi built America Jeep designs for Japan's military forces.

After the high success of the first generation Land Cruiser a new model debuted known as the 20 Series. This second-generation vehicle was updated to be more comfortable for civilian use and saw the first non-military customers. The legendary reliability of the Land Cruiser was forged during the launch of the 20 Series.

Thanks to a strong reception during American military trials in 1957, Toyota was confident enough to export the Land Cruiser to emerging markets. In most cases, the Land Cruiser was the first Toyota to enter these new countries and represented 38.2% of Japanese Vehicle exports in1957.

As time went on the Land Cruiser saw over 14 model variations over its 68-year production run. Today the Land Cruiser is a large comfortable SUV that still offers incredible reliability and strong off-road abilities. Although today's Land Cruiser is more focused on comfort and Luxury it continues to be an important part of what makes Toyota a legendary brand of engineering excellence and reliability.