WAITING-TIME blowouts have pressured Toyota Australia to droop orders for the LandCruiser 70 Sequence vary.
Described as a customer-focused measure, the pause is because of demand far outstripping provide amid ongoing manufacturing disruptions throughout the worldwide automotive {industry}.
Whereas it’s the oldest mannequin on the Australian market, the workmanlike LandCruiser 70 Sequence (LC70) stays as standard as ever in Australia as a consequence of its versatility and rugged capabilities.
The demand for ute, wagons and troop provider variants is so nice that low-kilometre pre-owned examples are promoting for in extra of $100,000.
In accordance with Toyota Australia vp of gross sales, advertising and marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley, the choice was made as a consequence of what the corporate describes as an evolving state of affairs, which additionally impacts current orders.
“The Toyota group has been working diligently to ship a file variety of autos with extraordinary help from our dad or mum firm,” Mr Hanley stated.
“On the similar time, sturdy demand and industry-wide provide challenges globally imply we merely can’t fulfil orders extra shortly.
“Subsequently, we’ve got determined to pause new buyer orders for the LandCruiser 70 Sequence. Sellers might be in direct contact with prospects about wait instances for particular person current orders over the approaching months.”
Mr Hanley didn’t present an estimated date for when orders will resume, however added his firm was monitoring the worldwide provide state of affairs carefully and can proceed to make selections primarily based on the most effective pursuits of our prospects and sellers.
“I perceive this information might be disappointing and need to sincerely apologise to our prospects and guarantee them we’ll proceed to supply updates as additional info turns into obtainable.”
In Could 2022 Toyota introduced an replace to the LC70 ute and wagon variants – the primary since 2016 – to fulfill the most recent Australian Design Guidelines, principally by upping its gross automobile mass to greater than 3500kg, which takes it from the sunshine industrial phase into the lesser-regulated medium truck phase.
The up to date autos had been to go on sale on November 1 this yr, although it’s unclear how the suspension of recent orders will impression that timeline.
Previous to the choice to droop orders, LC70 ready instances had blown out to about twelve months, with some sellers claiming waits of as much as 4 years.
It’s not the one Toyota mannequin to succumb to provide points, with the RAV4 SUV additionally dealing with twelve-month waits, and the brand new LandCruiser 300 Sequence and hybrid Camry variants experiencing delays of round eight months.
Different fashions are experiencing ready instances of round six months or much less, together with the HiLux that, not like the LC70, has a number of credible rivals in its phase to take in demand.
Toyota has acknowledged the frustration dealing with prospects on its seller web sites, stating: “We apologise to our prospects and perceive that is irritating.”
