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Here in the United States, the name "century" doesn't hold much of a brand connotation unless it's wedged between "20th" and "Fox," but over in Japan, it's stood for the ultimate form of luxury for more than 50 years. The Toyota Century sedan has served as its homeland's version of the regal limousines used by state leaders and other VVIPs since 1967, earning it a reputation as the crème de la crème of cars in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Now, Toyota is taking that reputation and using it to create an entire new brand at the top of its corporate family tree—one meant to compete properly with the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce and other ultra-luxury nameplates, all tied together under the brand statement "One of One." And to showcase this future, the carmaker used the 2025 Japan Mobility Show to pull the wraps off a new concept that represents the direction planned for the Century name: a high-riding gran turismo that combines coupe and crossover.
As is something of a trend this year among reveals from Japan's biggest auto show, details about this new Century coupe are few and far between. The car shares a bit of its vibe with the Bentley EXP 15 concept vehicle that debuted earlier this year, from the soft-roader grand tourer appearance outside to the cabin arrangement designed to maximize legroom in the rear on the passenger's side by forgoing a shotgun seat. In fact, the prime throne in both concepts even swivels outwards for ease of entry and exit.
The interior materials offer more of a hint as to what will make the new Century brand stand out. Tokyo describes it as boasting "Japanese beauty expert craftsmanship—the essence of Japanese artistry," and the features inside fulfill that mission brief, with warm wood and soft-touch materials that look so nice, they had us briefly brushing our fingers against the computer monitor. That said, buyers won't be pigeonholed into any particular look, as like Rolls and Bentley, each Century will be built to its owner's personal desires.
"It’ll be one of one," Toyota head of European design development Lance Scott told Britain's CAR. "Each car is going to be more customized to the personal taste of the of the person who buys it."
As to what is supposed to power this concept, well, that remains a mystery. The futuristic feel certainly hints at electric propulsion, but the long hood certainly has us dreaming of a smooth internal-combustion powerplant like the V-8s that have long defined the Toyota Century models. So long as we're hoping, perhaps there's even a chance it could use a more luxury-tuned version of the powertrain planned for Toyota's secretive new GR super sports car, although that may be a bridge too far.
Toyota also used the Japan Mobility Show to showcase a few changes to its existing Century models, the classically designed sedan and the SUV model first unveiled in 2023. The former now benefits from an available GRMN spec that offers Nishijin carbon fiber and a new grille, while the custom example of the latter showcased a matte black paint job paired with a flashy orange interior for what an apparently excited Toyota PR person described in a release as a "beautiful, hot look."
Whether the coupe comes to pass as is, or is merely a suggestion of what's to come from the new high-end nameplate, one thing sounds certain: the future of the new phoenix-logoed carmaker sounds it will be a global one. "Century is not just another brand within Toyota Motor Corporation. We want to cultivate it as a brand that brings the spirit of Japan―the pride of Japan―out into the world," Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda announced at the car's debut. We're looking forward to it.
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