Toyota Will Reportedly Replace Its V-8s With Turbo V-6s Within Three Years

Somehow, in a world of increasingly stringent emissions requirements, fuel economy demands, and electrification, Toyota remains one of the few automakers devoted to the naturally aspirated V-8. The Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Tundra all come with V-8s as standard, as do the Lexus RC F, GS F, and LC 500. But according to this latest report, that might be changing soon.

The Drive, citing an unnamed source “familiar with the automaker’s U.S. manufacturing operations,” claims Toyota will begin to phase out the now-iconic UR-series of V-8s from its lineup over the next three years. They’ll allegedly be replaced by smaller turbocharged power plants. The Drive’s source claims to have even seen a prototype of the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 set to replace the naturally aspirated eight-cylinder unit in the next generation of Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Tundra.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a V-8-powered Toyota’s potential downsizing. Last year, rumors surrounding the next-gen Land Cruiser—dubbed the “300” generation—would drop the V-8 in favor of a twin-turbo V-6 hybrid system. The Lexus LS 500 sedan, released last year, shares the same badging nomenclature as its LC sibling, but uses a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 instead of the LC’s 5.0-liter V-8.

Toyota allegedly declined to comment on The Drive’s findings. The company issued the following statement to Road & Track on the matter:

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