Toyota launches Century as new luxury brand with Conti GT rival
Toyota has revealed a striking luxury GT coupé to mark the creation of its new dedicated luxury brand, Century – conceived as a rival to the likes of Bentley and Range Rover.
The new model, revealed at the Tokyo motor show, is the third dedicated Century model – joining the flagship saloon that’s been in production since 1967, and the Bentayga-sized SUV that was revealed in 2023 – and the first to go without Toyota badges entirely.
Century has been carved out as a new marque in its own right, sitting alongside Daihatsu, Lexus, GR and Toyota itself as the “pinnacle of the Toyota Group portfolio”, says the company.
It will serve as a flagship for the group, selling much more luxurious and lower-volume cars than its sibling brands, with a focus on Japanese craftsmanship and high levels of personalisation. That, in turn, will free the Lexus brand up to explore new opportunities in the less exclusive upper-premium market – an ethos which it has previewed with the reveal of the six-wheeled LS concept and single-seat Micro LS concepts at the Tokyo show.
The original Century was “a car in a class of its own” said Toyota chairman Akio Toyota, and the new model aims to continue that legacy, with Rolls-Royce mentioned as one key rival.
“I want to cultivate it as a brand,” he said, “which brings the spirit of Japan out into the world” – though he stopped short of confirming any plans to export the coupe, SUV or flagship Century saloon.
“Since 1967, Century has represented not only the best of Toyota but the best of Japan. And its mission now, is to take that celebration of human craftsmanship out into the world, a beacon for the company and the country,” said Toyota’s global design boss Simon Humphries.
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Details on the concept itself are light, but it has a similar footprint to the Bentley Continental GT while riding slightly higher, and unusually features sliding doors that give access to an opulent three-seat cabin that fuses analogue and digital elements to emphasise its handbuilt, high-end positioning.
The sliding doors and single front seat – an arrangement similar to Bentley’s EXP 15 concept – were chosen not just to make entry and exit easier in tight spaces, but to augment the sense of drama and excitement that is central to the appeal of a luxury car in the modern era.
“When those doors dramatically swing open, what an entrance you’re going to make. Never has it been easier to exit a coupe with so much style and grace,” said Ian Cartabiano, who leads Toyota’s Californian design studio, which led the Century project.
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