Century launches as Toyota’s new hyper-lux brand to take on Rolls-Royce

Toyota has launched a new brand, sitting above even Lexus in the luxury stakes to take on the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley. It’s called Century, a name that dates back to 1967 and has long since reflected the pinnacle of Toyota.

The new brand debuted at the Japan Mobility Show, unveiled by Toyota chair Akio Toyoda with a bold statement of intent – a radically-styled coupe concept with dramatic sliding doors and a three-seat internal layout. It’s only the third model ever to be badged Century in the company’s history.

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What is the Toyota Century?

First launched in 1967, the original Toyota Century was a conservatively styled saloon that stood for supremacy in engineering and Japanese-style luxury. Serving as Toyota’s flagship within Japan, it featured quintessential touches such as wool upholstery (it’s less squeaky than leather) and lace curtains at the windows (Japanese people think tinted glass is showy-off).

Despite its staid styling, the engineering under the skin was obsessive – the first-generation model lasted thirty years until 1997 brought a new version with a Toyota-designed V12 engine. That engine never saw service outside of the Century, which gives some idea of how bespoke this car is. Put it this way – the Emperor of Japan uses a Century as his official state car.

2018 brought a third-generation car with a hybrid V8 while 2023 saw the first Century SUV, but all of these were still Toyota models. The new Century coupe is the first that won’t wear any Toyota badging, and it’ll aim to bring the fully bespoke experience that hyper-luxury customers demand.

What is the new Century like?

The new marque’s first model is a striking-looking lifted coupe, an extravagantly large car that feels like it’s taking aim right at the Rolls-Royce Spectre. It also shares a passing resemblance to the recently unveiled Bentley EXP 15 design concept, or even the Jaguar Type 00 if you squint a bit.

It shares its dual-headlight design and shield-shaped grille with the Century SUV but there the resemblance ends. Its upright front end moves back into a high shoulder line running right through to the rear of the vehicle, while up top there’s a swooping roofline and no rear window.

The Century features huge, forward-sliding doors instead of conventional units, while inside there’s a three-seater layout with a single driver’s seat set ahead of the two rear seats. The rear seats appear to swivel outwards with the giant door, for more elegant ingress and egress.

There’s no word on what might power the new Century – most alternative concepts as well as the production Rolls-Royce Spectre are electric, but bonnet vents suggest there may be a hybrid powertrain under there. The existing Toyota Century saloon and SUV use a hybrid V8 and V6 respectively.

Toyota chair Akio Toyoda said that the Century name “is said to represent the hundredth anniversary of the Meiji era, and of the birth of Sakichi Toyoda, the Toyota Group’s founder. For me, it is about creating the next one hundred years.

“It is a heartfelt desire for world peace, and an endeavour to shape the next one hundred years from Japan. Together, we have decided to launch the Century brand. “One of One”, or as Nakamura [Toyota’s first chief engineer] put it, “To be like no other.”’

Will it come to the UK?

There’s no confirmation about whether the Century brand will make it overseas, or even if the Century coupe concept will reach production in some form. But it’s fair to assume that if it does, it’s likely to be highly bespoke to each customer – future models may be curated or even specially designed for specific buyers.

The existing Toyota Century is primarily sold in Japan, with a few smaller markets such as China and the UAE for certain clientele. However, if the new Century brand wants to become a global luxury player, it’ll need to be available for high net-worth individuals across the planet.

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