Toyota’s Century brand may go global as an ultra high-end rival to Bentley and Rolls-Royce

Toyota could be gearing up its ultra-luxury Century sub-brand for global expansion, with brands like Bentley, Mercedes-Maybach and even Rolls-Royce in the crosshairs. As a statement of intent, a new Century concept car will be revealed at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, but before we see the design study in full, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has already teased his plan for Century expansion. 

Sitting above Lexus in Toyota’s hierarchy, the Century brand will now operate independently, and produce a low volume of ultra-luxurious models. These will ‘sit above’ Lexus, according to Toyoda, and expand beyond just the two model lines we see from the Japanese sub-brand today. 

The new Century cars will “take on the high-end market as the top of the top, one of one,” according to Toyota’s Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphreys, and could be previewed by the high-riding two-door concept car that will be shown off at this year’s Tokyo Mobility Show.

This announcement also lays the groundwork for a potential expansion of the brand outside of Japan, as the ultimate aim is to sit above legacy luxury giants like Bentley and Rolls-Royce. An ambitious plan, perhaps, but it comes with the weight of the biggest car company on the planet – and a Toyota’s ambitious Chairman in Akio Toyoda – behind it. 

What is Century?

Century isn’t particularly well known outside of Japanese enthusiast circles, but it represents the pinnacle of luxury from the Toyota brand.

This has typically taken the form of a single, low-volume saloon built for Japanese dignitaries. The model actually precedes Lexus by decades, with the original Century saloon arriving in 1967. Since then, the single high-spec luxury four-door has been consistently and slowly updated, even featuring a V12 petrol engine through certain generations. 

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The current Century saloon is just as exclusive, and while it’s lost the V12, it still runs a twin-turbocharged V8 engine unique to the model. In recent years, Century has branched out with the introduction of an SUV that appeals to younger buyers, but these two models still effectively operate under Toyota. This is what’s about to change. 

What about Lexus?

Just as it always has, Lexus will continue to act as Toyota’s premium car arm and build models at scale. However, the separation of Century should give more creative licence to diverge from offering ‘traditional’ vehicles, and create more individual and dynamic models that appeal to a wider customer base. 

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