In 1954, what name replaced Toyota Jeep BJ after a Willys trademark complaint?

In 1954, Toyota replaced the Toyota Jeep BJ name with Land Cruiser.

Toyota developed the Jeep BJ in 1951 as a rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle influenced by military utility vehicles. It used a larger and more powerful engine than the original American Jeep and gained attention when Toyota test driver Ichiro Taira drove a prototype to the sixth stage of Mount Fuji in July 1951. Japan’s National Police Agency subsequently ordered the vehicle for patrol use.

The Jeep name became a problem after Willys complained about Toyota’s use of its trademark. Toyota therefore needed a new name for the vehicle. In June 1954, technical director Hanji Umehara coined “Land Cruiser,” partly to give Toyota a name that sounded as dignified as the British Land Rover, a major competitor.

The change did not mean the vehicle became an entirely new design overnight. Early Land Cruisers retained BJ and FJ model designations, and the name later became attached to a broad global family of durable four-wheel-drive vehicles. The answer is not Mega Cruiser, Hilux Surf, or 4Runner: those are separate Toyota model names or derivatives introduced later.