Toyota has announced the short pause of production of the iconic LandCruiser 70 Series, good news for fans of an Australian favourite and commercial users. This eight-month hiatus beginning from September 2025 is in direct response to new Australian emissions regulations which will dramatically overhaul how this off-roader will work.
Why the Production Pause?
The pause in production is not entirely unexpected for those of us reading through the tea leaves of Australia’s automotive regulatory future. New regulations have been implemented in 2024, introducing more stringent emissions criteria for commercial vehicles, with the upshot being that Euro 6 Stage C tailpipe emissions are effectively mandated. Vehicles weighing more than 3500kg GVM – the same stipulations will apply, with the standards required for all applicable vehicles sold on or after November 01, 2025 irrespective of whether or not the vehicle is a new model.
The 70 Series LandCruiser, weighing in on a GVM of 3510kg, has just tipped the weight. That arises because Toyota will have to fit the car with AdBlue capability – a major engineering project that requires the car to be taken off the production line.
Advertisement “The suspension of production for eight months from September 2025 is made in consideration of the usual production push on this model,” Toyota said in their release, trying to make it sound like this was just business as usual on a manufacturing schedule instead of a crisis response.
What is AdBlue and Why is it Important?
AdBlue is a significant technology leap for many LandCruiser owners who have been enjoying the straightforward mechanical manners of their faithful steeds. This diesel exhaust fluid technology helps turn nitrogen oxide emissions into harmless nitrogen and water by using a process called selective catalytic reduction.
Common in most new diesel passenger vehicles such as the Ford Everest SUV, AdBlue systems need extra parts such as a tank and injectors. For a vehicle series celebrated for its “keep it simple and make it work” mantra for operating in the far reaches of the world, this is a concern of both engineering and practical application.
The AdBlue strap-on is a big move forward for after all iterating and institutionalising the basic Yemeni camel heritage of the 70 Series over the decades since its inception. This modification takes the no-nonsense workhorse toward modern emissions regulations while potentially adding some complication to a vehicle cherished in part because it was so simply dependable.
Market Impact and Availability
Toyota sought to reassure customers about supply with production still paused. “In light of strong consumer response, we are now taking orders for September shipping so we can ensure continued alignment with ever-increasing demand, and we do not anticipate any change to our previously announced production pauses.”
Supply management ahead of demand is needed, it is particularly so for the 70 Series where waiting lists are not measured in weeks but months in industries like rural and industrial demand even before recent shortages occurred in the last few years. Its use at the mines, in agriculture and in rural areas, provides these industries a high degree of concern about the possible disruption of the supply.
The interesting development there is many of the big players have already brought the necessary emissions technology to their core competition in the 4×4 market. The Ineos Grenadier and forthcoming Ford Ranger Super Duty both already comply with the Euro 6 emissions standards via their current AdBlue systems. The Grenadier, for example, has fitted its diesel with stop/start engine and a 17-liter AdBlue tank.
Beyond the 70 Series – Toyotaʼs new drive to modernise the commercial fleet
The effect of emissions laws is not limited just to the LandCruiser. Toyota’s commercial vehicles are not immune to similar issues, with the Toyota Coaster bus halting production for 17 months from August 2025 – even longer than the LandCruiser – while the next Toyota HiAce Commuter takes an eight-month break from June 2025.
These broad changes throughout Toyota’s commercial line demonstrate the complete effects of the new standards on manufacturers that already had a diesel platform. For Toyota, which has staked a chunk of its reputation on reliability and continuity, this run of changes marks a serious turnabout.
What Happens After the Pause?
By the time production returns in the middle of 2026, the LandCruiser 70 Series will reappear featuring an AdBlue system. This is likely to feature a separate, specific AdBlue tank and injection system, and potentially even altered engine management software to ensure the emissions clean-up process works as efficiently as possible.
For buyers, it also means getting used to the reality that the AdBlue tank will need periodic top-ups – a maintenance measure that has never before been a part of a traditional 70 Series owner’s life. Where the vehicle is popular in out of the way places, ensuring easy AdBlue availability may be a bit more challenging, and is something owners will have to think about.
The engineering conundrum ahead for Toyota is how to make these changes without compromising the propensity of the vehicle to last a million kms – an attribute that has underpinned the appeal of the 70 Series for so long. The way the company pulls this off will be one thing to watched by the vehicle’s loyal following.
Background: The 70 Series Evolution
The production break and AdBlue adoption are only the latest instalment in a long and impressive history for the LandCruiser 70 Series. First introduced in 1984, the 70 Series has been continually refined while sticking to its basic design principles for almost 40 years.
In recent years, there has been a slow-paced modernization that introduced features like new safety equipment and technology into the crusty, hulk of a vehicle, while the vehicle never lost its utilitarian nature and flairs of mechanical simplicity. That has made it popular with users in harsh environments globally, from Australian outback stations to African humanitarian missions.
More than any of the past updates, then, these emissions compliance changes could amount to the most significant technological change to the car in recent years — perhaps even changing its personality.
Future Outlook
With global emissions limits only set to become stricter, how AdBlue has been embraced may be just the start of an overhaul for models such as the 70 Series. How much longer, the hardcore fans ask, can Toyota keep developing this platform yet keeping its core the same?
As a growing sales vibe in many markets quickly backs away from diesel and toward electrification, the future of the 70 Series’s as blunt, rugged workhorse remains unclear in the long run. This emissions update buys time, though the shaping of the wider sector suggests that more transformative changes could be on the horizon.
At this stage, Toyota’s determination to refresh rather than kill off the platform suggests the vehicle has legs in the market after all and still commands a strong pool of loyal owners. It is questionable if this philosophy will see them throughout the next decade of vehicle development and if the 70 Series will be able to hold onto its iconic status in a more and more legislation restricted vehicle world.
The eight-month production break is therefore not just an operational fact of life, but a milestone in the story of one of the automotive world’s most enduring icons—a moment when the past and the present and conceptions of how things ought to be done meet the road, and extinction is the going rate for inflexibility.