What fresh LandCruiser hell is this? Toyota hatches plan for world's toughest... people-mover: reports

Surprising reports out of Japan suggest Toyota is about to launch what could be the word's toughest-looking people-mover, with international media now referring to the "LandCruiser of vans" as a production certainty.

That's the word from Japanese site Motor Fan, which is reporting intel from Toyota insiders that the a tough and boxy people-mover is in the works.

It will presumably a production version of the Toyota X-Van Gear Concept, which broke cover in Japan back in 2023 as a kind of half-van, half-SUV with a boxy body shape and plenty of sharp angles.

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A year later, patents for a production model surfaced, lending fuel to the fire that a version is coming to dealer forecourts.

Hallmarked by sliding doors both at the rear and at the front, and its three rows of seats fitted to rails for extra cabin customisation, the Toyota X-Van Gear Concept is reportedly a lock for production, and could be launched as early as October 2025.

The bad news? The LandCruiser-ness appears to extend only to its look. While the van will reportedly be offered with a choice of front- or all-wheel drive – the latter deploying a 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain with Toyota's E-Four 4WD system – the low-riding X-Van doesn't look all the ready to tackle the really rough stuff.

Also on offer, according to the reports, will be a 2.0-litre petrol engine powering the front wheels.

It should also be customisable in terms of seating, with six, seven or eight chairs on offer, all of which can be moved around the cabin thanks to the rail system.

Happily, a production version should look much like the concept, with the patent filings confirming the twin sliding doors, the LED lighting signature and the boxy, angular panels.

Less happily, there is no word of the model making it to Australia – though Toyota has been on something of a trademark spree in our market of late, and has applied to secure the name "Mark X", whatever that might mean.