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While your opinion about the future of the LC are no more or less accurate than my own, the facts regarding the popularity of the LC in the US do not support the view that the LC is a landmark SUV in the eyes of Americans or that the "generations of followers" results in customers actually buying the LC as you suggest
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I don't think the Landcruiser name will be dropped anytime soon. Toyota was averaging 12,000 unites per year with the 80 series Landcruiser during the early/mid 90's and that was before the LK450 debuted. When the 100 series was introducted Toyota sold 28,000 100 series LC/LX per year from 1998-2000. These sales were all before Toyota introduced the Sequioa. Toyota Landcruisers have never been cheap. The 80's in the 90's was around $41 and the LX450 was close to $48k.
Since the Seqiuoa came to market the 100 series (LX/LC) hovered around 10k-13k per. year. I think the current 200 series should hit the 10,000 unit target with no problem. T
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Even if you add in the 730 LX570 units sold in Jan. the entire platform would still be the lowest selling vehicle platform in Toyota's US line up
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You added the LX to the total. I think SC430 has by far the lowest US model sales per year.
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It doesn't take a business degree to suggest that the LC/LX platform will be the first to go as soon as Toyota runs into some selling headwind.
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Its not just about sales volumes. The premium SUV market is very limited in the United States especially with the poor economy. The Sequioa is not in the premium market like the 200 series is.. The Landcruiser is priced in a different bracket all together compared to the Sequioa. IMO...The Seqiuoa sales will be hit harder than 200 series as the buyers of the Sequioa brand have less income then LC.
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My guess is that they will drop these platforms while at the same time offerring a significantly upscaled version of the Sequoia as a Lexus replacement for the LX570.
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There is no chance that the LX will ever be built in USA under the Sequioa platform. The design is not as advance on the Sequioa as it is on the 200 series. The 200 series is a world SUV not one for specific markets like the USA sequioa..