THIS LAND CRUISER ROX! THE RECREATION OPEN EXPERIENCE CONCEPT, THAT IS.
Toyota over in the US of A had a couple of cool concepts on show at this year’s SEMA show. While it is the world’s premier aftermarket show, automakers like to get in on the action and take advantage of the masses of car fans that will pass through the event’s great halls over the show weekend. While the things that these big shots showcase are usually not available to the public, they do a good job of showing how in touch these big companies are with the man on the street, and that if they want to, they can create some pretty damn cool things. This is one of those cool things and it comes in the form of the rather good-looking Land Cruiser ROX. The latter acronym stands for ‘Recreation Open eXperience’ and it gives a modern Cruiser a decidedly classic feel. This ambitious concept that is the Land Cruiser ROX, was spearheaded by Toyota’s North American design studio, Calty Design Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and they successfully reimagined the iconic open-top Land Cruisers of the past for a new era of outdoor adventure. Calty was a part of the global design team that created the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 250. Kevin Hunter, president at Calty Design Research, shared the purpose of the concept: “We asked ourselves how we could make an even more exciting experience for our Land Cruiser enthusiast but from a real product perspective,” Hunter said. “Using Land Cruiser 250 as a base, we modified the body to open it up, expanding the usability, functionality and overall fun outdoor experience.”
Whether it’s a safari, an unpaved expedition, or quality time at your favourite campsite, the Land Cruiser’s reason for being is to immerse its occupants in the natural world. This concept seamlessly merges the Land Cruiser experience with the outdoors; a design and engineering feat more easily imagined than done. To achieve this goal, exposing passengers to the environment with minimal barriers became the guideline for the exterior design. “Open air concepts have been a part of Land Cruiser’s heritage, particularly the “topless” version,” says Exterior Chief Designer, Adam Rabinowitz. “As our design team was sketching this open-top derivative, there was definitely an emotional connection to the Land Cruisers of the past.” Beginning as an all-new, 2024 Land Cruiser, over 50 % of the car had to be fabricated, and the result is a fully functional, one-off “factory” vehicle. The body colour is inspired by Spring Green, a vintage Land Cruiser colour, and the ROX features skeleton doors, high-clearance rocker panels and rock rails, a front-to-rear sliding soft top, a functional mid-gate and tailgate seating. The interior features custom SLS Nylon 3D printed bits including front and rear doorsills, there’s Heritage Orange leather, door panels with integrated safety kits, and catch-all webbing. Outside, this build is loaded with utility with features like an integrated triple-bar roof rack and sports bar with molle panels, a custom jerry can next to the rear spare carrier, custom fabricated high-lift front and rear steel bumpers with D-rings and brush guards, specially designed widened fenders and custom one-piece Calty-designed 18-inch billet wheels. The ROX also utilizes customized independent suspension by TRD, so there’s a healthy 4-inch lift, and the track width is 8 inches wider thanks to forged aluminium control arms front and rear. This thing is pretty damn cool!
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows how Calty Design Studio helped build this very cool Toyota Land Cruiser concept, that as the name suggests, has a top that is open. That's a bonus for an adventure SUV that should spend a lot of it's time in the wild: CALTY Land Cruiser ROX - SEMA 2024 Build Episode 1 | Toyota | Toyota USA
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Cars SXdrv Concept Recreation Open eXperience ROX Land Cruiser ROX Land Cruiser Toyota