Tag Archives: noted

Motorsport

The Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Is Back In Japan, Fender Mirror And All

Yesterday we noted that the “new” short-wheelbase Land Cruiser 70 was available in the UAE. Now Toyota has also brought back the venerable off-roader in Japan. Originally launched in 1984, the J70 was discontinued in the region in 2004, but it returned a decade later for just one year before disappearing again. Now it’s back for 2024.

The JDM-spec model was unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show. It’s not the same barebones Toyota off-roader from 40 years ago since this latest iteration has modern systems like Hill Start Assist Control and Downhill Assist Control. Toyota fits the JDM-spec Land Cruiser 70 with a six-speed automatic transmission as well as stability control and Active traction control. You still get the dependable ladder frame in conjunction with electronic differential locks.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series (JDM)

In Japan, the reborn 70 Series Land Cruiser is offered exclusively as a six-door SUV powered by a 2.8-liter turbodiesel mill with 201 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. In Australia, the all-terrain vehicle can be had with a V8 diesel while the UAE gets the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V6 gas engine. Depending on the region, the go-anywhere model also comes as a pickup truck and that “shorty” three-door SUV we mentioned earlier.

It’s almost 2024, but you can still buy a brand-new vehicle with a fender-mounted mirror. Since Japan is a right-hand-drive market, that extra mirror is mounted on the left fender to serve as an old-school solution to blind spots. On the subject of quirks, the in-house tuner Modellista also offers yellow LED fog lamps and a bunch of other goodies.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series (JDM)
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series (JDM)

Toyota is charging 4,800,000 yen, so about $32,500 at current exchange rates. Alternatively, the resurrected Land Cruiser can also be ordered with a Kinto subscription service from as low as 45,760 yen ($310) per month. As good of a deal as this may seem, it comes with a seven-year plan, and you’ll end up paying 6,153,840 yen ($41,740) before having to return the vehicle.

Toyota estimates it will sell about 400 units each month in its domestic market.

Entertainment

Why Go90 Was One Of Verizon’s Biggest Failures

In a Q3 2015 investor call, Fran Shammo, a Verizon executive, mentioned that they had not yet started marketing go90. He stated, “Keep in mind we are 20 days into this. We actually haven’t done any advertising or promotion activity around this product. So, for the early stages, we are seeing very good platform stability. We are seeing very encouraging feedback. And of course, we’re looking at specific metrics like viewership, site revisits, and popularity of new shows.”

However, this doesn’t mean they weren’t planning to advertise. According to a report by the New York Post, Verizon had allocated $80 million for marketing the new streaming service.

“go90’s architect,” Brian Angiolet, expressed enthusiasm for the service in a press release, stating, “Brilliant coders and engineers and awesome content partners have invested an incredible amount of work and have taken care to create a video experience that until now has been missing for millennial and Gen Z viewers. go90 bridges the content divide between traditional and digital distributors, along with established and emerging creators.”

But there wasn’t anything particularly unique about go90. The only standout feature mentioned in the press release was the ability for users to “cut & share your favorite clips via text (SMS), email, Facebook and Twitter.” It’s worth noting that YouTube didn’t introduce its own clipping feature until July 2021, almost six years later.

Overall, the marketing copy for go90 seemed forced and trying too hard to be “hip.” For example, it encouraged users to “join or create your own ‘Crew’ to connect and share your interests with friends and other fans.”