Toyota Century Coupe unveiled: Meet Japan’s new Rolls-Royce rival

Looking for a luxury flagship with a twist? Toyota’s new Century apex brand promises to challenge Bentley and Rolls-Royce at their own game. Here’s how they hope to do it.

After decades of quietly but majestically representing the pinnacle of Toyota’s engineering prowess and craftmanship in its native market, the Century name is set to get its own dedicated premium spin-off brand. 

‘But what about Lexus?’ we hear you cry. Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere. Instead, the new Century moniker is destined to sit even higher on the prestige ladder. Where Lexus typically competes with the likes of BMW and Mercedes, Century is going after far nicher, more exclusive marques — think Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and even Maybach. 

And here’s the concept which hopes to kickstart that intriguing strategic move. Unveiled at the 2025 Tokyo Motor Show by Akio Toyoda (company chairman and director) himself, the vast and curiously high-riding coupe is unlike anything we’ve seen from Toyota before. Dimensionally speaking, it looks similar to other uber-premium GT coupes like Bentley’s Continental GT and even Jaguar’s divisive Type 00 Concept. That means a long bonnet, wheelbase, and a steeply sloping roofline. 

So it’s a bit like Lexus’ new LFA-teasing Sport Concept, then? No, actually. While Toyota hasn’t released any performance stats for the Century coupe — or even revealed what’s powering it — it’s safe to say this won’t be a fire-spitting, corner-carving supercar. In the same way Rolls-Royce once described its power outputs as ‘adequate’, rather than publishing specific figures, the Century won’t concern itself with raw horsepower and acceleration. In this luxo-barge’s case, smaller numbers are better. Fewer decibels of road noise, less vibration in the cabin, and a smooth, unobtrusive powertrain, will likely be this Toyota’s key success metrics. 

What else can we tell you? Well, other than the fact that this new model is said to be ‘like no other’, not a whole lot. There are a few choice details worth revealing, though. Chief of which are the unusual doors, which slide apart to allow easier access to the driver’s seat in tight spaces — a bit like Peugeot’s old 1007, only a touch more glamorous. And, once you climb inside, you’ll notice a single-seat front layout designed to maximise legroom for the lucky — likely chauffeur-driven — individual. As you’d expect, all the materials and surfaces also look properly first rate, with a special illuminated glass partition and jet-fighter-esque steering wheel yoke, serving as notable highlights.

So, that just leaves the obvious most question: is it coming to the UK? No. But that’s because it won’t be arriving in showrooms anywhere. Acting merely as a taster of what’s to come, Toyota has made no claims that the concept might spawn a direct road-going successor. That said, it’s ethos and design language will inspire future Century production models. 

But what do you think, is there a place for an apex Toyota brand in Britian? We’re excited to see where this Japanese Rolls-Royce is headed.

Hero image credit: Toyota