Toyota’s Century brand could go on sale in Australia for the first time after an emotionally charged unveiling of its latest concept at the Japan Mobility Show by chairman Akio Toyoda.
Last month Toyota announced the Century brand – pitched as a Rolls-Royce rival to sit above its Lexus premium division – would expand globally for the first time.
The first Century was produced in 1967 – so named to commemorate the 1867 birth of Toyota company founder Sakichi Toyoda – as a luxury sedan, and has been driven by presidents and VIPs ever since.
In 2023 an SUV model was introduced ahead of a new coupe concept shown in Tokyo, presented by current chairman and great grandson of Sakichi, Akio Toyoda.
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“It’s a very proud heritage for the [Toyoda] family – you saw Akio with a lot of expression, emotion about that history,” Lexus Australia CEO John Pappas said during a press briefing in Japan attended by CarExpert.
“We need to make sure we’re very rational about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ we’re going to do this,” he added.
“We have no firm plan right now to bring Century into Australia, but we are currently studying whether we believe that Century brand has a place in the Australian market to complement the Lexus brand.
“Century is obviously the pinnacle of the brands from a hand-made, fully crafted vehicle [perspective] – and because it’s hand-made, hardly any cars are being produced on a daily basis, because they are fully customised as well.
“If we saw an opportunity where we felt like this would sit within our market – in order to complement the Lexus brand and the whole Toyota family – we’d definitely be looking at it.”
Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, told the same media group there’s potential for Century in Australia.
“Yeah, of course, I think so – I think there’s a buyer for Century in Australia, I do,” Mr Hanley said. “It probably sits well above the Toyota brand, I’d suggest.”
“It [the presentation of Century] was just such a statement of intent and confidence … every one of these brands [in the Toyota group] now has a definition; it defines what we are in its own right.
“Whether we sell one, two, three of four – it’s incidental to me; it’s what it stands for.”
Mr Pappas said plans for Australia are a long way off, giving no timeframe for when an evaluation would be complete – or when the first Century could be sold here if given the green light.
He was also upfront about whether Century would be offered via Lexus’ Australian dealer network or through its own channels.
In China, one of the few places outside Japan where Century is already offered, its vehicles are sold through Lexus.
“They’re really great questions we don’t have answers for yet … there needs to be a lot of water go under the bridge; there needs to be a lot of work done to understand this feasibility,” he said.
“When we’re ready to make that call, together with headquarters here in Japan, then we’ll make those necessary announcements.”
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