Toyota has confirmed that the Fortuner, its HiLux-based off-road SUV, will be retired from the Australian market next year. The decision comes after the model continued to struggle against stronger competitors—most notably Toyota’s own LandCruiser Prado, which has outsold the Fortuner by a margin of eight to one in 2024. Production for Australia will wrap up around the middle of 2026, aligning with the global arrival of a heavily revised next-generation Fortuner that Toyota has already ruled out for local release.
Rather than continuing to support the Fortuner in Australia, Toyota plans to shift its attention to the more popular members of its SUV and 4WD line-up: the upcoming new-generation HiLux, the ever-dominant Prado, and the flagship LandCruiser 300 Series. Despite Australia’s strong appetite for rugged, ladder-frame SUVs with genuine off-roading ability, the Fortuner has consistently failed to match the momentum of its in-house siblings—or its nearest competitors.
This year alone, only 2928 Fortuners have been sold across the country. In comparison, Toyota has delivered a staggering 23,298 Prados, showing the clear customer preference for the more premium alternative. The Fortuner also trailed well behind other rival models: Ford sold 21,915 examples of the Everest, Isuzu recorded 12,499 MU-X deliveries, and Mitsubishi managed 5014 sales of the Pajero Sport, even though it is no longer in active production. The Fortuner’s strongest year on record was 2022 with 4614 units sold, but even then it was comfortably eclipsed by the Prado—despite both vehicles offering similar performance.
Speaking at a preview event for the upcoming HiLux, Toyota Australia’s sales and marketing chief Sean Hanley acknowledged the Fortuner’s loyal but relatively small customer base. He explained that changes in buyer trends, along with the planned end of production, ultimately led Toyota to discontinue the model in Australia. According to Hanley, many Fortuner buyers have already been gravitating toward other Toyota offerings, particularly HiLux variants and alternative SUVs in the brand’s broader lineup.
Hanley added that the refreshed and expanded HiLux range is expected to absorb much of the demand previously served by the Fortuner. He described the discontinuation as a “normal business decision,” emphasising that customer movement toward other Toyota models made the choice straightforward. As a result, Toyota has no intention of sourcing an alternative body-on-frame SUV to fill the gap—such as the US-market Toyota 4Runner.
The Fortuner now becomes the second underperforming model to be phased out by Toyota Australia in 2024, following the Granvia people mover, which was also discontinued earlier this year due to slow sales.