Toyota announced the debut of an all-new model on September 6, which will be streamed live on YouTube from Tokyo, Japan. The automaker didn’t name the model but the official teaser photos showing portions of the front and rear suggest it will be the already-confirmed Century-branded SUV.
The new photo reveals the split LED headlights of the SUV which are loosely reminiscent of older Chevrolet Tahoe generations. We can also see the large grille which adorns the Century emblem and appears to be covered.
An earlier teaser showed a chauffeur holding the rear door handle of a black-painted luxury SUV with chrome accents on the bodywork, LED taillights, and styling references to Rolls-Royce including the greenhouse, the strong D-pillar, and the dropping character line. Those elements coincide with the original teaser depicting a profile similar to the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.
Following rumors about a new SUV flagship Toyota originally announced the expansion of the Century lineup last June, during the presentation of the Alphard and Vellfire minivans. The only bits of information about the model that will join the Toyota Century full-size executive sedan with a taller body was shared by Simon Humphries, Toyota’s Chief Branding Officer
“The Toyota Century is the ultimate chauffeur experience but it will too have to evolve as we move toward the future. And later in the year, I hope to have a chance to share the outcome of that story with a new addition to Toyota’s chauffeur series. It will certainly be an impressive step in our mission to change the future of cars.”
It has been reported that the
Century SUV could share the TNGA-K architecture with several midsize and large models from Toyota and Lexus including the Avalon and Camry sedans, Highlander and Grand Highlander SUVs, plus the
Alphard / Vellfire minivans. While the Century sedan is exclusively available with V8 powertrains, the SUV could use a Lexus-sourced plug-in hybrid setup, in line with the automaker’s electrification strategy.
The fact that Toyota published the announcement on its global press site could hint that the Century SUV will be exported to other markets outside Japan, unlike the sedan which is focused on its home market. The company also has a special website for the debut, with a countdown being the only information available at this point.
