Toyota just launched a new ultra-luxury brand that even beats Lexus

If you thought Lexus was Toyota’s most prestigious nameplate, think again. Even to this day, Century has always been Toyota’s most lavish nameplate, coupled with a full-size luxury sedan that remained exclusive to Japan and carried the top dogs of the country’s business and political landscape.

That’s all about to change, as Toyota officially announced ahead of the 2025 Japan Mobility Show that Century will now be more than just a nameplate. It is now being launched as its own ultra-luxury brand that will compete with the best in the world. How will Toyota achieve this, and what are the first models you can expect from the brand?

A vision for the next century and beyond

Toyota’s vision for the Century is that it is more than just a new car brand. Instead it is, in the words of Akio Toyodaan “effort to shape the next hundred years from Japan.”

From zero to one-on-one

To be truly bespoke and compete with the world’s most opulent, Toyota knows the Century must be unique, and that’s the overarching theme of the press conference at the Japan Mobility Show. The vision for the Toyota Century began with Kenya Nakamura, Toyota’s first chief engineer. They started with a vision in which they strove to ‘be like no other’. But development would not begin until 1963, thirty years after Toyota started making cars and eighteen years after World War II.

Nakamura saw that the Achilles heel of luxury cars at the time was that nothing innovative could be done. That was a pattern he wanted to break by combining groundbreaking innovations, and then Japanese tradition followed suit. Traditional elements such as the Edo metal engraving on the Phoenix emblem and Nishijin-ori brocade for the seat fabric were the luxury touches of the first century sedan. It was a true one-of-one in Japan at the time, and that custom tradition has continued to this day.

The drive to be the pride of Japan

The motivation for the Century spin-off is driven by what Akio Toyoda says: a time when the ‘Japan as number one’ era is already behind them, as they now find themselves in what has become known as ‘the lost 30 years’. Debt factors such as Japan’s infamous bubble economy, which resulted in ‘The Lost Decade’ in the 1990s, the effect of which continues to this day. Akio Toyoda says if Kiichiro Toyoda and Kenya Nakamura saw Japan today, what would they say? Toyoda suspects that they would not say anything, but would immediately take action. After the war, Nakamura saw the post-war media headline “Starting from Zero”, to which Nakamura said:

It’s not zero. It is true that our facilities were destroyed and we had no materials or money. But we had the strengths and skills that Japan had built up. That’s why we were able to rebuild.

Today, Toyota operates on a global scale. Japanese culture already resonates in food and pop culture worldwide, not to mention the entire automotive industry. But now more than ever, Akio Toyoda believes that Century’s global presence is needed more than ever. As in the post-war era, Japan’s automotive industry today is not starting from scratch. The foundations are already in place to reignite joy and wonder in the key industrial engine of Japan’s economy – especially amid fierce competition, especially the latest electrified vehicles from China.

A look at the initial setup

Now that you know the story behind Century and the motivation for why it’s now being spun off as a standalone brand, here’s what you need to know about the initial global lineup.

Toyota plans to produce for the entire world for centuries

Of course, who could forget the Toyota Century sedan, the primary vehicle for Japan’s most elite individuals in the business and political landscape. The Century sedan we all know is an opulent full-size passenger car that, for the current third-generation model, uses a 5.0-liter V-8 and an electric motor configured in a series-parallel arrangement.

Powered by an e-CVT with planetary gear transmission, the hybrid V-8 full-size luxury sedan has a system output of 425 horsepower and a chassis forged through countless improvements since 1967. Strangely enough, Toyota also presented a high-performance GRMN variant, which was so far unique for Akio Toyoda himself. GRMN is a badge reserved for the most powerful Toyota models and stands for “Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of the Nürburgring”.

Perhaps the model that started Century’s world conquest would be the Century SUV. Unveiled in 2023, the Century SUV was the first Century model since the G50 generation sedan to be exported abroad. Its first overseas market was China, and this opulent full-size luxury SUV used a 3.5-liter V-6 plug-in hybrid powertrain that produces 406 horsepower. The lithium-ion battery is also good for a pure electric range of 70 km. Like the Century sedan, there is also a one-off GRMN model with sliding doors, and unsurprisingly details for the GRMN model are very scarce.

A future coupe SUV with very unique features

The new Century Coupé Concept represents the forefront of Century’s global ambitions. It’s a high-riding four-door coupe, but you couldn’t tell it has four doors because of the way they designed the silhouette. That’s because the front and rear doors slide open to reveal a cabin that doesn’t include a B-pillar. Once those doors slide open, the entrance to the cabin is very wide and you are treated to an opulent and sophisticated interior.

Craftsmanship is taken to another level, as the central bridge features orange illuminated strings. The screens inside, while plentiful, are refreshingly small, as the emphasis in the Century’s cabin is on luxury and craftsmanship – just as a luxury car should always have been. Despite being a rakishly styled high-riding coupe, its interior space could rival the Century SUV, and it’s designed to be enjoyed by both drivers and drivers.

What’s next for Lexus now that they have more room to create?

To this day, Century is a name that remains largely elusive to people living outside Japan. If you’ve always wanted a premium model from the Toyota group, Lexus was your favorite brand, but with Century now taking the top spot, where does that leave us with this brand?

Freer to act and innovate without the full responsibility of luxury

Toyota’s motto for Century is “one-of-one”, which is why we have used this term extensively in this article. Lexus, on the other hand, will be bolder and “freer in its actions,” according to Simon Humphreys, Chief Branding Officer and Design Head at Toyota, explaining how Lexus and Century will coexist.

In a sense, Lexus will be able to act more freely. As a pioneer, Lexus must continue to take on challenges. Century will take on the high-end market as the top of the top, one of one.

This starts with how Lexus wants to pursue bold, new ideas. For example, the first Lexus model was the LS, and it is a soon-to-be-discontinued full-size luxury sedan priced above Toyota Crownbut below the Toyota Century. LS stood for Luxury Sedan, but in 2025 the shape for what luxury travel means for the driver market will be reinvented with the LS Concept.

Radical ideas emerge as the new era unfolds

That’s where the six-wheeled LS Concept luxury van comes into play. The LS nameplate is being reinvented, although it is still unknown whether this will actually spawn a production model. In addition to the LS Concept, two more concepts from the LS brand were unveiled. The first is the LS Coupe Concept, a four-door high-riding coupe with rear suicide doors and an outward-opening tailgate. The cargo area is lined with wood, while the interior features yoke steering, two digital gauge clusters and a large screen for the front passenger.

The other concept of the LS brand is the LS Micro Concept, a microcar that can accommodate only one person. It is intended as a luxury vehicle for personal mobility, a symbol of how Lexus can ‘act more freely’ compared to Century. Although the interior is chic, it is very small and leaves hardly any room to move, even on your seat.