Breaking News! Looking at sales numbers for the FJC over the last couple of years, annual US sales have been steady at a little over 13,000 per year, far below the 50,000+ during the first two years of production. Toyota, after all, is a for-profit company. If they don’t believe the FJC is a profitable model in the long run, they have no reason to continue its production. Of course, the ultra-luxury Land Cruiser 200 series sells 1/10 of what the FJC does, apparently the profit margin is high enough that Toyota plans to keep the LC badge around for the long haul. This is despite the fact that the FJC is closer to the original FJ-40 Land Cruiser than the modern version.
In reality, I think the major reason the FJC has fallen out of grace with Toyota (despite the less than ideal sales numbers) is that the company offers other options that fit the bill almost as well as the FJ. In all honesty, if the 5th gen 4Runner existed when we purchased our first FJ in 2006, it would’ve been very tough to go with the FJ over the four door 4Runner. The 4R, especially with the upcoming 2014 refresh, matches the FJC very well in almost every area in stock form. The FJ certainly has an amazing list of aftermarket options that the 5th Gen 4R hasn’t matched yet, but that is changing over time.
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Alas, we will forever be optimistic that Toyota will change their mind and keep our beloved truck around a few more years, but with this latest news that optimism is somewhat degraded. Regardless of what Toyota decides, you can be sure that we’ll keep providing great FJC and Toyota Truck content for years to come!
UPDATE:
We now have official confirmation direct from the Toyota Fleet website. The FJ Cruiser WILL be discontinued at the end of the 2014 Model Year.
