The Toyota Land Cruiser has been one of the worst-affected vehicles in the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage. Buyers have had to weather severe delays, and the similar Lexus LX that we'll get here in the States hasn't been immune either. In fact, the situation only seems to be getting worse, with no end in sight. The chip shortage is only one part of the problem, as other components have been causing production and delivery delays too, prompting many to wonder if even Toyota has an idea of when the luxury off-roader will be available to buy.
Thanks to new information from Drive in Australia, we now at least have a vague idea of when the Land Cruiser 300 Series will arrive, and it won't be soon.
According to the report, Toyota dealers in Australia have been told to keep their demonstrator models on hand "for a minimum of six months." Toyota is clearly aware that there are those who may wish to take advantage of the situation, so it has told these dealers not to sell the vehicles even if so-called VIP customers offer to pay over the asking price to jump the queue.
The reason for this is that Toyota wants all potential customers to have the opportunity to see the first new Land Cruiser in 14 years. Obviously, if production issues are resolved before then, demo models may be sold before the six-month period is up.
With just 500 demo models being shared across Toyota Australia's 330-strong dealer network, the new Land Cruiser is hot property. Unfortunately, while Toyota has imposed a limit on when demo models can be sold, the automaker still seems to have no idea on when production will ramp up.
That said, Drive canvassed various dealers and reports that these dealers estimate that someone who orders a new LC today will have to wait between six and nine months for delivery. This should put an end to sensational rumors that the delays could be as long as four years, but the wait is still extreme.