Shortly after being launched, the new Toyota Land Cruiser began doing duty as part of Dubai's police fleet, and why not? We can't think of many vehicles that are better suited to protect and serve than the new Land Cruiser with its butch looks, solidity, and go-anywhere capability. However, not every new Land Cruiser is being used for noble purposes. More than 22,000 pre-orders for the 300 Series Land Cruiser have been received so far but Toyota has put measures in place to stop these vehicles from being re-sold. Apparently, this is to curb the risk of the SUV being used for illegal purposes.

A report by the Japanese website Creative311 includes a pledge that must be agreed to by buyers of the new Land Cruiser. The pledge forbids the vehicle from being resold or exported, with the reasoning given including the statement "because there is a risk of violating foreign exchange law, and depending on the export destination, it may lead to major problems that threaten global security."

Previous reports indicate that Toyotas like the Hilux and Land Cruiser are commonly used by terrorist organizations in the Middle East, an unexpected downside of Toyota engineering some of the most bullet-proof vehicles on the planet.

Obviously, Toyota doesn't want a repeat of this pattern with the new Land Cruiser and is doing what it can to ensure that the vehicle doesn't end up in the wrong hands. The pledge strangely doesn't indicate the length of the period during which new buyers will be unable to resell the vehicle. If the buyer acts in contravention of the ownership pledge, they could be prevented from transacting with Toyota in the future.

It's a very unusual scenario but if Toyota's goal is to prevent the use of its vehicles in any illicit activities, it's difficult to argue with that. For the average, honest buyer who simply wants a good SUV and the flexibility to resell it if the need arises, it does create a tricky situation.