The new SUV will sit above the Land Cruiser in Toyota's lineup combining higher levels of luxury and technology with a Rolls-Royce-inspired look.
Toyota is set to expand its SUV lineup with a new flagship model that will adopt the Century moniker and is slated to debut in 2023. The previously rumored luxury offering has now been officially confirmed, showcasing an impressive silhouette reminiscent of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan in 2020. Dark teaser.
During the presentation of the all-new Alphard and Vellfire, Toyota Chief Branding Officer Simon Humphries made a surprising announcement about the Century SUV. More specifically he said: “The Toyota Century is the ultimate driver experience, but it must also continue to evolve as we move into the future. And later this year, I hope to have the opportunity to share the results of that story with a new addition to the Toyota driver series. This will certainly be an impressive step in our mission to change the future of automobiles.”
The comments (made at the 12.20-minute mark of the video) suggest that the Century SUV will be a landmark model for Toyota, representing the pinnacle of style, comfort, luxury, and technology. The teaser photo projected onto the screen looked very dark in the screenshots from the official video, but the journalists present were able to see it more clearly. The proportions, long bonnet, sloping character line, greenhouse, D-pillar, and retro-inspired tail look similar to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. We don't know how the Goodwood company feels about this but the Century SUV could easily be dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of Japan”.
Reports earlier this year suggested that the Century SUV could use the TNGA-K architecture, which has been used by several models including the Toyota Highlander and Lexus TX SUVs, as well as the Toyota Alphard/Vellfire and Lexus LM minivans. The new flagship SUV is expected to be equipped with a hybrid powertrain, although it will likely swap the sedan's electrified V8 of the century for a more sensible and efficient setup that combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with dual electric motors.
The Century SUV is rumored to cost around ¥15 million ($105k) in Japan, which makes it cheaper than the ¥20 million ($140k) Century sedan. Production is expected to take place at the Tahara factory in Japan, while it is likely that Toyota will also export the Century SUV to other markets. The debut has been confirmed “at the end of 2023”, although local media reported a possible date in August. Until then, you can check out the AI-generated images we created that shouldn't look much different from the actual production model.
