DETROIT – Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.’s rugged and retro FJ Cruiser SUV concept, which is rumored to be debuting at the Chicago auto show next month as a production vehicle, will not be a bare bones truck along the lines of its inspiration, the original FJ-40 Toyota Land Cruiser of the 1950s.
FJ Cruiser Concept shown in 2003.
The FJ Cruiser is “not just basic. There’s some comfort and convenience in it,” Jim Press, chief operating officer of TMSUSA, tells Ward’s here at the North American International Auto Show.
“It’s an updated iteration of one of the first true off-road machines,” Press says.
The FJ Cruiser likely will be an affordably priced youth-market vehicle aimed at a buyer demographic similar to that of Nissan North America Inc.’s Xterra SUV.
Nissan always has considered the Xterra, which has been redesigned for the ’05 model year and will go on sale next month, to be in a “segment of one.” (See related story: Xterra Still Gen-X Friendly But Likely Pricier)
