- Toyota to present open-top Land Cruiser and 4Runner concepts at SEMA show
- Land Cruiser ROX concept designed in Ann Arbor
- Concept features vintage color used on early Land Cruisers
It's not unusual to see a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler with their roofs removed while out on the trail, but you won't find this with the latest Toyota Land Cruiser and 4Runner SUVs, even though it was an option on earlier generations.
At the 2024 SEMA show on next week in Las Vegas, Toyota will explore open-top versions of its two rugged SUVs with a pair of concepts. A 4Runner TRD Surf concept designed as the ideal beachcomber was shown on Thursday and on Friday Toyota followed it up with the Land Cruiser ROX concept.
The ROX here stands for “Recreation Open eXperience,” with Toyota giving the examples of a safari trip, navigating an off-road trail, or simply hanging out at a campsite as ideal spots for such a vehicle.
The Land Cruiser ROX was designed and built by Toyota's design studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and according to Toyota, more than 50% of the vehicle had to be redesigned. Part of the challenge was ensuring everything was fully functional and designed in a way that it could be reproduced for a production model. The designers even developed stamping tools needed to produce the body panels and components.
Toyota Land Cruiser ROX concept
The frame surrounding the passenger compartment remains, but the cabin's roof is missing, replaced by a sliding soft-top, and the rear roof as well as the rear side windows have also been removed. To maximize the open-air feeling, the lower section of the doors were also cut out. As a nod to some of the early open-top Land Cruisers, the concept was painted in a vintage Land Cruiser color known as Spring Green.
For the interior, the designers used materials that can stand up to the elements. Many of the custom parts were also 3D printed. A functional mid-gate was also added to enable pass-through from the cabin to the rear storage where tailgate seats are tucked away.
Other upgrades on the concept include 18-inch wheels machined from a single piece of billet, along with forged aluminum control arms that increase the vehicle's track by eight inches. A lift kit using TRD suspension parts also raises the ride height by four inches, ensuring the concept will be able to handle even the roughest terrain.
