Toyota announced a steady growth in sales of its iconic Land Cruiser model in the first quarter of 2013 across the Gulf region to maintain its leadership status in the large SUV segment with a 40.4% market share. In terms of unit sales in the Gulf region, Toyota sold 18,592 units to grow by 15% in Q1 2013 while the overall growth of the large SUV segment was only 7%. In the Levant and Yemen, the Land Cruiser saw significant growth to record a 140% increase in sales in the same period. This reflects the broad appeal of the Land Cruiser across the region thanks to its legendary on-road as well as off-road capabilities. The Land Cruiser was the first model to be introduced in the Gulf region by Toyota back in the 1950s. Since then, over 2 million vehicles have been sold in the region. Currently over 50% of Land Cruisers sold worldwide are in the Middle East. Nobuyuki Negishi, Chief Representative of Middle East & North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation said, “The Land Cruiser represents over 60 years of unmatched performance with its sophisticated blend of off-road prowess with uncompromising go-anywhere capability, on-road comfort and unparalleled refinement. With its rugged nature and powerful performance across the most challenging terrain, the Land Cruiser continues to delight our customers in the region and has become an integral part of their lives.” The Land Cruiser is equipped with a Multi-Terrain select system offering 5 modes, which allows the vehicle to adapt to various road conditions for excellent off-road ground covering performance, which also controls Wheel Spin and Wheel Lockup. This revolutionary system also supports the optimum traction needed to handle slippery surfaces like mud, sand and loose rock, or non-slippery surfaces like moguls and rock. The Land Cruiser also comes with other intelligent off-roading technologies such as a Crawl Control system which offers five speeds to maintain a constant low speed for a secure drive across different terrain by providing optimal throttle and brake control. The Turn Assist System is another unprecedented feature which enhances turning ability and minimizes the driver's effort in tight U-turns. Through its Multi-Terrain monitor, four cameras mounted on the front, rear, and sides of the vehicles enable the driver to have six different views of the terrain outside. This system supports the driver by enabling him to see the surrounding conditions even when cresting a hill or driving on extremely uneven ground that makes it difficult to see the terrain directly. The Land Cruiser is available across the region with a newly developed 6-speed automatic transmission with a Super ECT sequential shift control which allows the driver to choose the shift range in order to deliver the driving control of a manual transmission. It comes with a 5.7L V8 Engine, a newly developed 4.6L V8 Engine, an improved 4.0 V6 Engine and a V8 4.5L Diesel Engine, options that demonstrate the high power and performance of the Land Cruiser. — SG
