Toyota’s new-generation Land Cruiser Prado is proving to be a hit, both in South Africa and abroad.
The new SUV manages to be both modern, rugged and retro at the same time, returning to the Land Cruiser brand’s roots in a meaningful way.
Toyota’s Calty Design Research Team, based in Michigan in the USA, was part of the global design team that created the new-generation Prado. Recently the team had an opportunity to further explore the vehicle’s heritage in a fun way by creating a unique concept vehicle for the SEMA aftermarket show, which kicks off in Las Vegas on November 5.
When the Calty team looked at developing this idea, they believed that maintaining the authenticity of the Land Cruiser brand was paramount. However, looking back to the very beginning, open air concepts were very much a part of the early FJ range of the 1950s.
The overriding intention behind this concept was opening it up to the outdoors and allowing occupants to connect more with the environment that they’re in.
The result was an open-air double cab bakkie of sorts, featuring half-doors with no glass and a targa-style roof that can be enclosed with a retractable fabric soft top.
With rugged over-fenders and over-sized tyres, the ROX concept certainly looks the part, and it has us imagining just how cool the Prado would look as a double cab bakkie.
Alas Toyota is unlikely to ever build a pick-up version of its Prado. Or is this actually a taste of what’s to come? Our guess is as good as yours.
You can watch the build process in the video below:
IOL