Why VVIPs choose Land Cruiser over any other car?

Toyota land cruiser is becoming the go-to car for VVIPs all over the world and even in India. Land Cruiser is one of the most trusted cars when it comes to Indian PM safety. But why preferably a land cruiser there are so many full-size SUVs out there, why not those.

Introduction

After the murder of Siddhu Moose Wala, threats of killing Salman Khan kept on increasing day after day. Salman Khan upgraded his Land Cruiser to a bulletproof car from after-market customizers. Today, Salman Khan owns luxurious cars like Lexus LX 470, Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Autobiography, and Mercedes Benz GLS Class. These cars could also be made bulletproof.

Why did Salman Khan choose Land Cruiser for Bullet Proof?

Salman Khan is not the only one who travels in an Armoured Land Cruiser. Top politicians like Rahul Gandhi, Raj Thakrey, and Navjot Singh Sidhu, and celebrities like Aamir Khan and Cheeranjivi, whenever these people want to travel between their fans and ordinary people, choose only Land Cruiser. The biggest fact is that the most important person in our country, is our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. It has been observed that when he takes part in the Republic Day parade every year, he mainly travels in a Range Rover. But whenever he is among people or in any rally, he travels in his Armoured Land Cruiser.

Why do celebrities choose Land Cruiser?

These things are not only limited to India. Many prominent leaders from all around the world prefer to travel in Armoured Land Cruisers. Mahindra’s Armoured Vehicle Division, Mahindra Emirates Vehicle Armoring, chooses only Land Cruiser for armoring vehicles in its luxury vehicle segment. But why only Land Cruiser is being chosen? Many cars can be converted into Armoured Vehicles.

The motive of this article is to provide you with brief information about Armoured Vehicles and educate you on the same. I will also tell you about the types of armored vehicles, to what levels these armored vehicles are tested, and how these armored vehicles are developed. But since the majority of the Armoured modification is done in Land Cruisers in the whole world, that’s why we will first know about the history of the Land Cruiser. Its history is very interesting. You would get to know many unknown facts through this history.

What is the history of Land Cruiser?

Land Cruiser was inspired by the Great Grandmother of Thar, that is Willy’s Jeep. North Korea and South Korea indulged in a war during the 1950s. When South Korea needed Military trucks for the war, America promised its friend country South Korea to provide military trucks. However, it was not easy to take Military trucks from America to South Korea. And America also does not want to outrage the USSR. Because at that time, the USSR was supporting North Korea. That’s why America told Japan to develop a military truck based on the Willys Jeep.

That can be supplied to South Korea. And it was done because Japan is located near South Korea. In January 1951, Toyota developed the prototype of the military truck. Its name was Toyota Jeep BJ. The Jeep developed by Toyota was bigger than the normal Jeep. It was more powerful. And it had almost the same capabilities as the Willys Jeep. This car was so capable that in July 1951, the test driver in Toyota Ichiro Taira, drove the Next generation prototype of BJ. To the sixth stage of Japan’s Mt. Fuji. And with this, it became the first car that reached there. These tests were examined by Japan’s National Police Agency. And NPA became highly impressed with the off-roading capabilities of BJ. And in an instant, NPA gave an order for 289 BJ vehicles.

In the year 1954, the technical director at Toyota Hanji Umehara thought that Toyota’s BJ was equally capable to Land Rover in terms of off-roading. So its name must also be equally heavy. Hence the name of Toyota BJ was changed to Land Cruiser. 1953 saw the conclusion of the Korean War. But the whole country wanted to have this car. That’s why in the year 1955, Toyota designed its Land Cruiser J30 series that appealed more to civilians. A more stylish outer body, better ride quality, spacious comfortable interior, and more powerful engines were provided in this car. This car was highly improved so that it can be exported.

Especially since it was intended to be exported to the US. Because at that time, the Automobile Industry in the US was growing the fastest in the whole world. And in the year 1958, Only one unit of Toyota Land Cruiser was sold in the US. Gradually, it became Highly popular. By the year 1965, Toyota Land Cruiser became one of the most selling cars in the US. But by the mid-1960s, Toyota understood that the Land Cruiser was majorly bought as a comfortable luxury vehicle by civilians. High profits could not be earned by selling it as an off-road-only vehicle. And that’s why, keeping the off-roading capabilities of Land Cruiser in mind, Toyota started increasing its creature comforts as well. New generations of Toyota Land Cruisers were launched one after the other.

J50 was launched during the 1960s. After this, J60 was launched. Then J80 model was launched. Gradually, with every new model, the luxury appeal of the Land Cruiser kept on increasing along with its off-roading capabilities. In the year 1998, J100 was launched. At that time it was launched in its full size. And now Land Cruiser attracted rich people to itself. And today, we all know that J200 and J300 are bought by many VIPs. The Land Cruiser that Salman Khan owns today is a Land Cruiser from the J200 Series. Salman Khan has made it bulletproof from after-market customizations.

Apart from this, the Land Cruiser which is used by Shri Narendra Modi has been armored by after-market customizers. Traveling in a bulletproof Land Cruiser is a preferred mode of transportation for several global leaders. But why only this car is chosen? Many luxury cars can be modified like Land Cruiser and Range Rovers develop the same type and size of cars. Range Rover is even more luxurious than the Land Cruiser. Why Range Rover is not chosen? The answer to this question is made for many reasons.

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How Armoured Vehicles differ from ordinary vehicles?

Because after knowing this we can easily justify why Land Cruiser is opted. According to INKAS which is a Canadian Security Company and Worldwide famous Armour Manufacturer, to convert any ordinary vehicle into an armored vehicle, four major upgradations are done.

• The first thing that is added to the frame of an Armoured Vehicle is Ballistic Grade Steel. The best thing about Ballistic Grade Steel is that It can easily absorb the energy of any bullet or explosive. Due to this, occupants get a high level of security.

• The second thing added to an armored vehicle is ballistic glass. Bulletproof glass is installed everywhere on an armored vehicle. It is very different from any typical glass of a vehicle. Bulletproof glass is developed from lead glass and polycarbonate substrate. The Side Window, Windshield, and rear window do not break whenever anyone attacks the Armoured Vehicle. The whole energy is absorbed like this.

• The third thing added to any armored vehicle is robust bumpers and tires. Very heavy bumpers and puncture-proof and blast-proof tires are used in armored vehicles. And the fourth modification done in an armored vehicle is rebate mechanisms. When a high amount of steel and glass is added to the vehicle. To carry this heavy load, modified brakes, suspension, and engine components are used. And since these vehicles get heavy after Armouring, it gives a different feel while driving such vehicles. After making these changes.

Testing of Armoured Vehicle

The vehicles have to go through various tests-:

• The first is the ballistic test. In this test, bullets are fired from a high-power assault rifle. And second, is the blast test. In this test, explosions are done on the various parts of the vehicles with grenades. Like above the roof of the car, below the car, and various other places. Dummies are seated inside the vehicles during these tests, similar to NCAP tests. And it is observed how much the dummies have been impacted by these attacks. This is done to mimic the situation of the passengers.

• After these tests, the rate of survival of the car is also tested. With this test, it is known whether the vehicle would be able to run or not after any attack. When all the tests are done, at last, the vehicles are certified. In which it is told how many attacks any vehicle can bear. The vehicles modified by INKAS can bear 780 rounds of firing by 5.56 MM and 7.62 MM bullets. Apart from this, its cars can also absorb the attack of several grenades and it can even survive easily.

But apart from this, there is one more level called the ballistic protection. This level ranges from B1 to B7. It is known from these levels, which size of bullets these cars can bear. And it is not like, the level of the armored vehicle used by Salman Khan and Shri Narendra Modi are equal in providing protection. The car used by Shri Narendra Modi might even absorb the attacks by grenades or even mines, but the car used by Salman Khan might not be able to do so.

Now that we have understood the concept of Armouring, you should have now understood that this procedure has only one motive, to save the lives of the occupants. Armouring alone cannot do this because many times the vehicles have been driven despite bearing explosives, and that’s why the majority of the Armouring agencies choose only Land Cruisers for providing armored vehicles to their clients.

This car is very powerful and generates a high torque and this car is equally reliable as well. If the vehicle breaks down in any condition or the vehicle has been stopped under any situation, it could be highly problematic for the VIP who is traveling in the vehicle. Land Cruiser was chosen as it is highly reliable, and no company can come near to Toyota in terms of its reliability.

And according to many reliability researches, whether the research is conducted by Forbes or JD Power. But if we observe other brands that manufacture such luxurious SUVs like Land Rover and other German brands, they are ranked very below in the reliability charts. This was about the brands, but if we talk about particular models then,

Which car is World’s most reliable car?

Land Cruiser is considered to be the world’s most reliable car. And this thing could also be known by a used car-selling website. It studied 15 Million cars to know which car is used the most by its buyers after purchasing it. And do you know which car topped this list? Yes, Land Cruiser. Not only this, four vehicles in this list of top 10 were from Toyota, and the reliability provided by Toyota is the biggest reason for these things.

But whenever such Armouring is done in any car, as I told you earlier, the weight of the car increases. And for that, the engine and suspension of the car are to be modified. But these are only add-ons. The vehicle must be first highly dependable in its stock form, and that’s why, Land Cruiser is the primary choice for many agencies. Even Mahindra’s Armouring division, about which I told you earlier, information about this is available on their website as well. And since the Land Cruiser is a highly reliable car, the resale value of this car stays very high.

Land Cruiser Waiting Period and Pricing

Despite driving this car for 1 Lakh, the Land Cruiser is sold out for INR 1-1.5 Crore. And today, the demand for Land Cruiser is so high that it has a waiting period of 4 years.

If you want to own a Range Rover, the waiting period for a Range Rover is between 1 and 1.25 years. But Land Cruiser has a minimum waiting period of 3.5 years in the whole world. Due to this reason, Shri Narendra Modi and other top politicians prefer traveling in a Land Cruiser. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not choose his car himself. It is the responsibility of SPG, that is Special Protection Group. And SPG has considered Land Cruiser to be capable for Shri Narendra Modi. Think yourself about the capability of this car after Armouring.

Conclusion

Toyota land cruiser is becoming the go-to car for VVIPs all over the world and even in India. Land Cruiser is one of the most trusted cars when it comes to Indian PM safety. But why preferably a land cruiser there are so many full-size SUVs out there, why not those. According to Why is the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser priced lower than previous models?