Toyota suspends pre-orders for 2022 Land Cruiser 300, enforces resale restrictions within 12-month period

Following an earlier report indicating that Toyota is requiring its customers for the 2022 Land Cruiser to sign an agreement that the newly-purchased vehicles will not be resold to subsequent parties within a period of 12 months, the Japanese automaker has issued a statement on this matter, reports Japanese site Mag-X.

According to the website, Toyota has suspended pre-orders for the new SUV, and new owners will be required to sign a pledge not to sell the vehicles onwards to export markets. If Toyota determines that a pre-order is highly likely to result in a resale, the pre-order will be cancelled.

“Toyota dealers and Toyota Motor Corporation share a common understanding that when selling vehicles to customers in Japan, the sale does not end [there], but that each dealership will continue a responsible relationship with the customer including aftersales service, in order to protect the safety and security of the customer,” the manufacturer said in its statement.

“In addition, the Land Cruiser is particularly popular overseas, and we are concerned about the flow of the vehicles overseas from Japan immediately after their release, including the possibility of them being exported to specific markets where security regulations are in place,” it continued.

Toyota Motor Corporation has therefore alerted all Toyota dealers in Japan to the possibility of the above situation leading to a violation of foreign exchange and foreign trade law, in order to minimise the risk of legal violations, it added. In Japan, the Land Cruiser 300 Series has amassed 22,000 pre-orders as of earlier this week, according to Japanese site Creative311.

Toyota’s reputation for vehicles that are reliable in harsh conditions has earned it popularity, including among groups known for organisations known for nefarious activities, and the automaker stated in 2015 that it has cooperated with the United States Treasury Department’s inquiry into how militant groups had acquired large volumes of Toyota vehicles Automotive News reported at the time.

“Toyota has a strict policy to not sell vehicles to potential purchasers who may use or modify them for paramilitary or terrorist activities, and we have procedures and contractual commitments in place to prevent our products from being diverted for unauthorised military use,” Toyota USA said in response at the time, adding that it is committed to fully complying with the laws and regulations of each country it operates in.

GALLERY: 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series