Ultra Toyota: Century marque reveals Coupe Concept, One Of One

Century will be Toyota's ultra-luxury auto brand for the world

In the great strata of Toyota, one automobile has really held such a high esteem: Century.

For decades, the Toyota Century represented the pinnacle of automobile luxury from Japan and was produced as a single generation, with enhancements from 1967 to 1997. It even went so far as to become the official limousine of the Emperor of Japan.

Currently, Toyota produces two Century models with a 4-door sedan and a 5-door SUV. But that will soon change as Toyota will be designating Century no longer as a vehicle but rather a marque all its own. And at the Japan Mobility Show (formerly the Tokyo Motor Show), it will become very much official to the public.

At the opening of JMS, Century debuted to the public as the ultra-luxury marque of Toyota to rival the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maybach, among a few others. The brand with the phoenix on the grill will continue with the production of models such as the Century Sedan and Century SUV, but they arrived at the show with two new concept cars that will signify their future.

The first is the Century One of One, an ultra-exclusive vehicle that represents the very best of Century. The design is very bold as expected, but the vehicle will showcase the company’s technology, “Takumi” craftsmanship, and the pinnacle of luxury. They even state that the paintwork features a staggering 60 layers.

The other vehicle they launched at JMS is the Century Coupe. It is a three-seater, and envisioned as a vehicle that can work well if the owner chooses to drive, but also if they want to lie flat on the back seat.

The two vehicles shown at JMS are concepts, of course, but when it comes to production models, everything about Century will be a custom or bespoke affair; that means the customer can specify exactly what they want out of the car and how they want it to feel and look. This is the practice of ultra-luxury automobile marques that offer endless options to customers. Toyota -er- Century states that the experience will be on another level, with Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries saying they want it to be Top of the Top and One of One.

Here's the best part: Century won't be a JDM-exclusive thing as before. This will be a global brand. As to whether Century will arrive in the Philippines, executives won’t give a definitive answer. But we can only surmise that since the Philippine media (read: us) were at the announcement, then there is probably a good chance. We’re quite sure there are several clients in the country already interested in something even more exclusive from Toyota.

When we know more, we’ll be sure to share it.