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Toyota's game-changing i-Force Max engine has been trademarked for Australia, with the potent hybrid powertrain paving the way for an electrified LandCruiser 300 Series, or even the Toyota Tundra.
The application was lodged in Australia on February 4, and is currently under assessment, but once approved, it will give Toyota clear air to launch the technology in Australia.
The i-Force Max engine appears in the USA Tundra, and it's a beast. Pairing the brand's already potent 3.5-litre, twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with an electric motor, the powertrain produces an astonishing 286kW and 650Nm. The diesel-powered LC300, for example, is good for 227kW and 700Nm.
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The i-Force Max engine pairs with a 10-speed automatic gearbox, and in the Tundra, delivers a whopping 5.4-tonne braked towing capacity.
The new engine will likely appear in the LC300, but could also well appear in the Toyota Tundra in Australia, with Toyota's senior management on record as being "very keen" to launch the jumbo truck in Australia.
"At this stage we still have some more work to do before we can confirm it. We certainly would like it, but at this stage, and looking at the business plan, we haven’t gotten to a point where we know it would be viable," Toyota Australia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, told CarsGuide back in 2019.
This trademark filing, then, could be the first step in that process, though Toyota in Australia is yet to confirm details surrounding the filing.
The petrol motor, while similar in some outputs to the now-familiar 3.3-litre diesel of the LC300, is tuned more for performance, with the Sport and Sport+ settings designed to unlock instant acceleration with the help of the electric motor.
"The showstopper for Tundra is really the i-FORCE MAX powertrain," Toyota says in a release.
"It relies on the same twin-turbo V6 platform but features a unique attribute – a motor generator with a clutch located within the bell housing between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. The i-FORCE MAX powertrain is designed to provide maximum performance and maximum efficiency at every extreme."
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