The United Nations first Toyota Land Cruiser EV. Bigger than LC 300, first giga-casted monocoque chassis for Japan?

At this Wednesday’s opening of the Japan Mobility Show, Toyota will present the first ever fully electric Toyota Land Cruiser, the Land Cruiser Se.

The vehicle is still a design concept, so it’s not a true representation of the production car but Toyota has provided some preliminary specifications.

The most surprising aspect is its chassis type. Despite wearing the Land Cruiser name, the concept drops the nameplate’s proven ladder frame chassis for a more passenger car-like monocoque construction. Toyota says “highly responsive handling and confidence in tackling rough terrain.”

Toyota has previously mentioned that its next generation EVs will be built using giga casting techniques, similar to the method used by Tesla. However, unlike Tesla's IDRA-sourced die-casting machines, Toyota's machines were developed in Japan. The Land Cruiser Se could be an early example of such a product.

The whole point of giga casting is to reduce the number of parts, and therefore reduce the number of assembly steps and time required, to put together a car's body. It makes little sense to use giga casting to build a ladder frame chassis.

However, traditional 4x4 enthusiasts trust ladder frames because such structure is better suited for towing as the trailer or pulling another vehicle as the weight is secured directly to the vehicle's frame. The counterpoint, of course, is that a 3-piece gigacasted body is just as strong.

The three-row 7-seater SUV is 5,150 mm long, 1,990 mm wide, and 1,705 mm tall, with a 3,050 mm wheelbase.

That’s a HUGE car. For comparison, the Land Cruiser 300 (GR Sport variant) measures 4,965 mm long, 1,990 mm wide, and 1,925 mm tall, with a 2.850 mm wheelbase.