Will we see a new wave of Toyota LandCruiser rivals?

The GMC Yukon could pave the way for American-sized SUVs to flood the Australian market.

Australians love the Toyota LandCruiser. And with good reason, it’s built big and tough which makes it perfect for this big, tough country of ours.

But do you know who else loves big SUVs like the LandCruiser? America, and it produces a bunch of them like the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and more. In 2025 we’ll see one of these, the GMC Yukon go on sale in Australia and it will be fascinating to see how it is received, because if it’s successful it could pave the way for more of these ‘Yank Tanks’ to join the Australian market.

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What makes it possible for General Motors Australia to offer the Yukon locally is the fact it’s built on the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 that it already converts to right-hand drive here and sells with some success. Which is why the door is open for the rest of these big utes, the Expedition is based on the F-150 platform and the Sequoia uses the same underpinnings as the Tundra.

The big ute market has grown steadily in Australia in recent years, with Ram kicking things off before Chevrolet joined and then Ford and Toyota got in on the act in 2024. That growth has slowed this year with Ram running out its existing 1500 range, but the addition of F-150 and Tundra should give it a boost in 2025 and beyond.

If this market holds it will give management at these brands pause for thought over the sales growth they could attract with the addition of some big, tough, super-sized SUVs.
Sales of ‘Upper Large SUVs under $120k’ (which includes LandCruiser, Nissan Patrol, Land Rover Discovery and Kia EV9) are up 7.0 per cent in 2024 and sales of those over that price (the likes of the BMW X7, Range Rover, Mercedes G-Class, etc) are up nearly 10 per cent – which means there is a growing demand for big SUVs.

The challenge for GM, Ford and Toyota would be getting these SUVs here at a reasonable price. The GMC Yukon is priced from $169,990, more than $25k above the most expensive LandCruiser 300 Series, which is a lot of money even if it does offer a uniquely American SUV experience.

So expect the executives at Ford, Toyota and GM to watch the fortunes of the GMC Yukon with great interest in 2025…

Would you like to see the likes of the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia offered in Australia? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.