Right now, the US auto market is as happy as a little kid because its love of crossovers, SUVs, and trucks is diligently fulfilled from all directions. GM is preparing to lose a lot of money with the Chevy Equinox EV, Toyota is driving the hybridized i-Force Max point home with the 2024 Tacoma TRD Pro, and all feels right in the world. Except for fans of rugged SUVs, who are still waiting for proper responses to the assault of Broncos and Tahoes, for example.
The automotive world is so crazy about crossovers that General Motors is willing to forge a losing bet with the battery-powered Equinox EV and Blazer EV. Toyota, meanwhile, has decided that the 2024 Grand Highlander three-row CUV can fulfill any family dreams. And yet, fans of rugged, dune-bashing, and rock-crawling SUVs are still waiting for the Japanese automaker to make up its mind about whether or not its Land Cruiser nameplate should return to the United States to do battle across the market alongside the Lexus LX and Toyota Sequoia. Naturally, the rumor mill even believes that Toyota could go down a notch and bring the next Land Cruiser Prado installment to America, if not the mighty J300 itself.
But some folks think otherwise and might even want to take matters into their hands, or rather, at the tip of the CGI brush, as is the case here with the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. For example, Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, has taken up the task of revealing the refreshed 2025 Land Cruiser, probably thinking that the generation released in 2021 needs a swift refresh to remain relevant in its intended markets.
Alas, the boxy styling imagined by the pixel master - with a modern yet rugged front fascia and new LED bar-style taillights - sure makes it prone to receiving a lot of hypothetical love from the US market, as well. In fact, just take the Land Cruiser inscription out from the chromed grille, and you could easily dream of this unofficial rendering as the perfect 4Runner, as well. And even if it remains a full-size SUV, it could still duke it out like a champ with the likes of Chevy's Tahoe, right?
Even better, the CGI expert quickly churned out a second, chunkier SUV in the form of the imagined 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe – and both could help alleviate concerns from off-road-focused SUV fans that they were abandoned to the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler hype in the face of such high esteem for CUVs and trucks, as seen as of late from OEMs. The redesigned mid-size Santa Fe is envisioned as a far cry from the sweeping curves of the current crossover SUV, and it could even warrant a swap to a new body-on-frame platform if you ask us. However, remember that all these CGIs are hypothetical, so do take them with the proverbial grain of salt!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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