Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 48V for SA? [Update]

Will the local Land Cruiser Prado lineup gain the Hilux’s 48 V mild-hybrid turbodiesel powertrain?  We reached out to Toyota South Africa to find out…

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado front

Image: Toyota

In June 2025, Toyota Europe announced the Land Cruiser Prado is “powering into a new era”, with the 250 series adopting the Hilux’s 2.8-litre mild-hybrid turbodiesel engine in this market. However, perhaps of even more significance is that this 48 V setup is already available in Australia, a market that largely mirrors ours.

So, this made us wonder: could Toyota introduce this powertrain to the local Land Cruiser Prado lineup? We reached out to the Japanese automaker’s South African arm to find out.

As a reminder, the 150 kW/500 N.m mild-hybrid mill incorporates a 48 V, 4.3 Ah lithium-ion battery pack and a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor-generator, which operates with a two-arm belt tensioner that’s been specifically designed for diesel powertrains. As mentioned, this unit is currently available with the current-generation Hilux, and can also be had with the Fortuner.

Will the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 48V be available in SA?

The local Land Cruiser Prado lineup will remain unchanged at this stage, Toyota South Africa has told CARmag. Although there are performance benefits to the mild-hybrid powertrain (improved fuel economy and a boost of 12 kW/65 N.m when the battery is fully charged) and it doesn’t compromise off-road capability, it comes with one caveat: it impedes on luggage capacity, as the rearmost seats can’t be folded down completely.

Click here to browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag!

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado rear

Image: Toyota

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The post Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 48V for SA? [Update] appeared first on CAR Magazine.


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