Toyota Canada Celebrates 60 Years With Two Premieres in Toronto
Toyota’s story in Canada started with three vehicles, namely the Publica, Crown and Land Cruiser. Sixty years later, the company marked this anniversary with the Canadian premieres of the brand new 2024 Land Cruiser and 2025 Crown Signia in Toronto.
It all took place during a special event on Tuesday night, just a couple of days prior to the official opening of the Canadian International AutoShow.
- Also: 2025 Toyota Crown Signia is Here to Eat Subaru Outback’s Lunch
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“60 years in Canada has taught us how to successfully meet the driving needs of every Canadian…by putting customers first,” Toyota Canada President and CEO Larry Hutchinson said. “Our commitment to delivering high quality, durable, affordable, and environmentally responsible vehicles underpins everything we do now, and this commitment will continue to lead us into the next 60 years and beyond.”
He certainly didn’t miss the opportunity to brag about the automaker’s record electrified vehicle sales of nearly 100,000 units in Canada last year, representing 43.9 percent of its total vehicle sales and an increase of 92.8 percent from the previous year.
Also, Hutchinson took another jab at critics accusing Toyota of not doing nearly enough in terms of fully electric vehicles.
“Our objective is, and will continue to be, achieving the company’s global net-zero carbon commitment by offering a diverse selection of carbon-reducing electrified vehicles to meet the needs of every Canadian driver,” he said.
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser
Arguably Toyota’s most storied nameplate, the Land Cruiser returns to Canada after a 35-year hiatus. The latest generation is packed with all the modern technology you’d want to have fun on and off the road.
Slotting between the equally new Grand Highlander and the Sequoia, the Land Cruiser is built on the TNGA-F body-on-frame architecture and boasts 220 mm of ground clearance. It’s actually the Toyota equivalent of the 2024 Lexus GX.
Except under the hood, of course, where you’ll find a version of Toyota’s i-Force Max hybrid powertrain consisting of a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, an electric motor and a 1.87kWh battery. Together, these units deliver 326 horsepower and a remarkable 465 lb-ft. of torque. An eight-speed autobox is mated to the engine, plus four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, locking differentials and electronic front sway bar disconnect. Maximum towing capacity is 6,000 lbs.
The Land Cruiser is essentially a grown-up’s toy complete with a selection of more than 100 accessories for off-road driving, camping, outdoor sports and overlanding. Pricing will reflect that. Unfortunately, details have yet to be announced even though the vehicle will land in dealerships sometime in the next few weeks. We bet it’ll start at around $65,000.
2025 Toyota Crown Signa
Taking the torch from the Venza, which won’t return after the 2024 model year, the Crown Signia is a more spacious and more premium SUV. As the name implies, it’s based on the Crown sedan and serves as a much more versatile alternative. In fact, consider it as a direct rival of the Subaru Outback.
The main difference is that the Crown Signia is exclusively hybrid, combining a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. Output is rated at 243 horsepower. Unlike the regular Crown, there will not be a Hybrid Max powertrain, presumably to avoid any internal competition with the aforementioned Land Cruiser and the next-generation 4Runner.
In Canada, the Crown Signia will come in a single trim level called Limited, with pretty much all the bells and whistles you could want. Toyota didn’t announce pricing in Toronto—that information will come closer to launch in the second half of the year—but we expect the vehicle to start at around $55,000.
Standard content is very impressive, with 21-inch wheels, a panoramic roof, JBL audio system, leather upholstery, as well as heated and ventilated front seats. Oh, and a 12.3-inch centre touchscreen, too. As for cargo, the load floor stretches 6.5 feet when the rear seats are folded.
