The new Toyota LC300 has already garnered more than 22,000 preorders in Japan where the automaker appears to be now preventing customers from reselling the SUV. New buyers of the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser will have to sign a contract not to sell the SUV to export markets. It is reported that customers who sign the agreement and still re-sell the vehicle may be banned from buying another Toyota for an unspecified period of time.

“Land Cruiser is particularly popular overseas, and we are concerned about the flow of vehicles from Japan to overseas immediately after their release, as well as the possibility of them being exported to certain regions where security regulations are in place,” states Toyota.

“Toyota dealers and Toyota Motor Corporation share a common understanding that when selling vehicles to customers in Japan, the sale does not end [there], but that each dealership will continue a responsible relationship with the customer including aftersales service, in order to protect the safety and security of the customer,” the manufacturer said in its statement.

As per reports, one of the reasons for such a move is to prevent buyers from re-selling the model at a profit, possibly to customers in other countries. Limited numbers of the SUV means that Toyota wants the vehicle to only be purchased by ‘genuine’ customers who want to drive and experience it themselves. There are also concerns that the new Land Cruiser if re-sold to customers in other countries, could land up in the hands of people with criminal intentions and may become a threat to global security.

The new Land Cruiser is without a doubt one of the most important launches of the year for Toyota. After a long and globally successful 14-year run, the LC200-series Toyota Land Cruiser is finally being replaced with an all-new model, the LC300. Apart from the heavy redesign, the new Land Cruiser LC 300 also gets a newly developed twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6. It pumps out 409 horsepower and 650 Nm of torque. There is also a 3.3-liter twin-turbodiesel. It’s expected to have 305 hp and 700 Nm and we suspect that this will be the engine that will eventually be available here in Nepal. Both engines send power to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.