Land Cruiser FJ Will Come To Malaysia, Likely Between RM200,000 To RM250,000

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ will likely be coming to Malaysia soon, but the price may not be super attractive.

Many Malaysian fans of the Toyota FJ Cruiser have been clamoring for a replacement and now that the Hilux-based Land Cruiser FJ is available in Thailand, it’s only a matter of time before we get it too. According to the Land Cruiser FJ’s chief engineer Masaya Uchiyama, the company plans to introduce the vehicle in “all markets where it makes sense to have a more compact Land Cruiser”.

The Toyota Land Cruiser FJ was unveiled a year ago and it has exceeded Toyota’s sales target within Japan with the grey market just waiting to bring models in by the shipload from Japan. With pricing starting at below US$30,000, the Land Cruiser FJ could just be the perfect alternative to the Suzuki Jimny, which is starting to reach its saturation point in our market.

After its global introduction, it only took a few months before the vehicle was debuted in Thailand where it’s fighting off intense competition from Chinese brands. Toyota says that its own priority is to focus on reliability and durability instead of the latest tech.

The biggest hurdle to introducing the Land Cruiser FJ in Malaysia is the taxes. Just like the Fortuner, the Land Cruiser FJ’s engine is on the larger side in terms of displacement. There’s the 2.7L 2TR-FE petrol engine or the 2.8L 1GD-FTV diesel engine. While these larger capacities don’t really matter for pick-up truck pricing, the Land Cruiser FJ is a passenger SUV. This means that there will be a 105% excise duty imposed on it should it be brought in as a Completely Built-Up (CBU) car from Thailand.

This would bring the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ’s price up to RM200,000+ at the very minimum. That would put it up against the GWM Tank 300, which is much larger and likely more refined.

There’s also the Jetour T1 and T2 to contend with the in the off-roader styled passenger SUV market. Bear in mind the Land Cruiser FJ is built on pick-up truck bones and might not be as suited to daily driving as those vehicles.

The best thing UMW Toyota can do is to bring in a CKD programme for this vehicle. It would be great to finally address the Land Cruiser fanbase in Malaysia, which has been only tackled by the grey market (outside of the official Lexus LX models brought in).

The real question now is… when will Malaysia get the new Hilux in diesel form?