The Toyota FJ Cruiser was a body-on-frame, V6-powered 4×4 from America’s newly minted best-selling automaker, built as a tribute to classic Toyota off-roaders. With funky looks and equally unorthodox doors, it was sold in the United States from 2006 to 2014, where it was met—at least initially—with reasonable success. As time went on, however, sales slowed until it finally left the States some eight years ago. That’s not quite where the story ends, though, because a just-released sales report from Toyota claims that one new FJ Cruiser was actually sold in 2021.
Yes, the truck is being sold to this day in the Middle East, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Combing through Toyota’s 2021 sales data, I noticed something unusual. According to the automaker, it sold a single, brand new FJ somewhere in America before the year came to a close. That means somebody purchased one from a dealer, window sticker and all.
We reached out to Toyota about this, asking how it was even possible some seven years after FJ production ended. A spokesperson explained that it was somewhere on the East Coast, and that “it was sitting on the lot since 2014 and was sold as new.” Other details seem nonexistent at this point, which adds even more mystery.
Toyota’s 2021 sales data was impressive all around; of course, FJ Cruiser sales are likely unaffected by any external influences. And looking back at the truck’s sales through the years, selling one in 2021 actually sort of tracks. The brand reportedly sold four in 2017, then three in 2018, and one in 2019. No FJ Cruisers were sold new in 2020—the column was deleted entirely from the automaker’s report—but it’s returned in 2021.
Could this have been the last new FJ Cruiser left in the U.S.? We would’ve assumed they were all gone after 2019, but that clearly wasn’t the case.
Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: peter@thedrive.com