Toyota is re-orienting its five core brands—Century, Lexus, Toyota, Gazoo Racing, and Daihatsu. Century will sit atop the Toyota Group’s portfolio, serving as its pinnacle, while Lexus itself will take on a fresh, new direction.
Named after the centenary of Sakichi Toyoda’s—the “king of Japanese inventors” and the “father of Japanese industrial revolution”—birth, the Century served as Toyota’s flagship model since 1967. Often serving as the official limousine of both the Imperial House of Japan and the Prime Minister, it’s known for its V8, and later, V12 powerplants.
The Century foregoes any of Toyota’s traditional logos, using a phoenix logo instead. Called Hō'ō (鳳凰) or Fushichō (不死鳥), it’s found in Japanese mythology and is representative of the Imperial House of Japan.
Today, as Toyota marks four unbroken generations of the Toyoda family owning the carmaker, Century is being positioned as their most prestigious brand. Moreover, it will become a celebration of the best of Japan turning it a beacon for an entire country.
Their tagline, “One of One” means Century is incomparable. Moreover, it’s also meant to convey its level of exclusivity as each Century is hand-made and hand-finished, all bespoke to the customer’s personal specifications.
The Century Coupe Concept joins the Century SUV and the new Century GRMN sedan as the new ultra-luxury brand’s initial line-up. Toyota has confirmed that Century will not be limited to its home market of Japan. It will be rolled out to global markets, potentially including the ASEAN region depending on possible customer demand.
So Century is now a brand. What about GR? Will GR also be a separate brand?
ReplyDeleteI hope Toyota brings the Century to the Philippines. For sure there would be buyers.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was the camry?
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