Toyota's mini monster! LandCruiser FJ name secured for Australia as RAV4 Hybrid-powered Suzuki Jimny rival prepares for launch

Toyota has applied to trademark the name "LandCruiser FJ" in Australia, seemingly naming the mini-LandCruiser that's expected to be unveiled before the end of the year.

The trademark application adds weight to solid reporting out of Japan that the LandCruiser Mini would wear the FJ nameplate, with that country's Best Car Web reporting that it will be roughly the same length and width as the Toyota Corolla Cross – roughly 4.5m long and 1.8m wide – but also taller, at around 1.8m.

Interestingly, reports point to the new 4WD being a petrol-hybrid, ditching the diesel synonymous with the LandCruiser badge in Australia, with the FJ to instead borrow the RAV4 Hybrid's powertrain.

Read More About Toyota FJ Cruiser

Toyota takes on Tesla: Japanese giant to rewrite the electric car book to deliver cheaper EVs sooner The NEW Toyota FJ Cruisers and eight more zombie cars, SUVs and 4WDs registered in Australia during 2023 Recharge? Toyota FJ Cruiser, Nissan Skyline, Chevrolet Camaro and other famous models that need to be re-born as electric cars

That would see it fitted with a 2.5-litre petrol-hybrid making a combined 163kW and 227Nm, and delivering a 1500kg towing capacity, with power fed to all four wheels.

While reports so far point to the FJ riding on a ladder-frame chassis, Toyota has confirmed monocoque versions that will expand the LandCruiser nameplate into more soft-roader territory are a "work in progress", and it's possible this mini 4WD could the first.

Asked whether the LandCruiser brand would expand to include more road-focused models, Toyota bZ4X chief engineer, and former chief of the new LandCruiser Prado project, Masaya Uchiyama, said:

"We have three versions of the LandCruiser – the LandCruiser 300, the LandCruiser 70 and the Prado. We have three ways to go, a LandCruiser for everybody.

"Maybe we can make a monocoque LandCruiser, like LandRover. We have many ways to go, multi-pathways, using different models and positions."

Another option is Toyota's IMV-O platform, which underpins the Toyota Hilux Champ, with its ladder-frame chassis unlocking the capability currently expected of the LandCruiser nameplate.