A new flagship Toyota SUV wearing the brand’s most prestigious nameplate is debuting next week.
The Toyota Century SUV will be unveiled on September 6, ahead of sales reportedly beginning in early 2024.
A dark image released by the company shows a chauffeur with white gloves opening a door to a blocky SUV with distinctive two-tier tail lights.
Though the teaser doesn’t specify what is being revealed, this rear-quarter view matches up with previous teaser images and spy photos of the Century SUV.
A chauffeur opening the rear door all but confirms this, as the Century sedan is used in Japan for transporting dignitaries and even the Emperor.
The new flagship SUV bears a resemblance to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in terms of its body shape, while the split-level taillights appear to take inspiration from Genesis vehicles.
Japanese outlet Best Car Web reports the Century SUV will feature a 3.5-litre hybrid V6 powertrain and “4WD that drives the rear with an e-axle”.
This suggests the Century SUV will use an eFour all-wheel drive setup like what’s available in other Toyota hybrids such as the RAV4.
It’s rumoured the Century SUV’s powertrain will be similar to that of the new Lexus TX550h+.
The new three-row flagship crossover, related to the also left-hand drive-only Toyota Grand Highlander, is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.
This produces a total system output of 299kW of power, and features a continuously variable transmission and Direct4 all-wheel drive system.
In contrast, the Century sedan uses a 5.0-litre V8 hybrid powertrain like the old Lexus LS600h. All three generations of the Century have been rear-wheel drive sedans.
Best Car Web reports the Century SUV will be priced around 10-15 million yen (A$109-164,000). The Century sedan in Japan starts at just over 20 million yen (A$218,720).
It’s unclear whether the Century SUV will be sold outside of Japan. The sedan is exclusive to that market.
The expected dimensions according to Best Car Web put the Century SUV at 5200mm long by 1950mm wide. For reference, the longest LandCruiser 300 Series comes in at 5015mm long by 1990mm wide.
Both are slightly eclipsed by the American-market, Tundra-based Sequoia which is 5286mm long by 2022mm wide.
The Century sedan was built to service Japan’s upper class and politicians. The first generation Century used a V8 engine and was sold from 1967 to 1997. The second generation featured a V12 and was sold from 1997 to 2017.
