First look at hybrid Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series

New spy images have gifted us our fist look at the hybrid Toyota LandCruiser, with the off-road icon to be made available with an electrified powertrain for the first time.

The new 300 Series LandCruiser – a replacement for the ageing 200 Series – is expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, ahead of an August release in international markets. Toyota in Australia is yet to confirm local timings.

But while Toyota is yet to go official with the 300 Series, a series of spy pictures – seemingly captured at vehicle holding and transport facilities in Japan – are doing the brand’s work for them, delivering us our first clear look at one of Toyota’s most important models.

A small caveat, though – while it’s not immediately clear what is powering the models we’re looking at, it’s probable that they’re the petrol (reportedly a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6) or diesel (reportedly a 3.3-litre V6) options, which are thought to be the first to arrive.

Hot on their heels, though, will be an electrified version of that V6 engine, marking the first time the LandCruiser has gone hybrid in its long and proud history. In fact, Russian website Autospot reportedly spotted a hybrid 300 Series in the wild, suggesting the electrified off-roader won’t be far away.

And that could be just the beginning, with Toyota Australia product planning chief Rod Ferguson telling EV Central that the LandCruiser was a logical recipient of the technology that can turn hydrogen into electricity with the only emission being water.

“Is there scope for a future LandCruiser fuel cell down the track? Could be,” Ferguson said.

“No doubt that sort of consideration is put into that platform,” he added when asked whether the upcoming new LandCruiser – tipped to be called 300-Series – would be engineered from the outset to take a fuel cell system.