Japanese car brand Toyota Motor Corporation is not known as a premium carmaker. The premium vehicles of the conglomerate are usually sold under the Lexus brand. However, Toyota has been selling a super luxury sedan christened the Century for more than 50 years only in its home country.
The Century debuted in 1967 and was released to commemorate the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota Group. The second generation of the Century debuted in 1997 and it serves as the chauffeur-driven model of choice for many elite in Japan.
About 21 years after the second generation's debut, Toyota has revealed all-new Century in Japan and it costs 19,600,000 yen (approximately Rs 1.2 crore). The price tag indicates Toyota Century is a Rolls-Royce and Bentley rival from the eastern hemisphere. Since it carries on the tradition of master craftsmanship, Toyota intends to sell only 50 units in Japan.
What makes this Toyota sedan super exclusive? We have listed out 10 things you need to know
1. The silhouette of new Century reminds the last generation Rolls-Royce Phantom and it's easily recognizable as a chauffeur model. The boxy and simplistic approach in design may not be pleasing for western world but it celebrates minimalism something Japan is known for.
2. New Toyota Century features many handcrafted bits such as phoenix emblem and crown pattern grille. The phoenix emblem has been carefully engraved over a six-week period by a craftsman while chrome grille on the backdrop of crown pattern adds the luxury touch.
3. Toyota has developed new colour eternal black, dubbed Kamui for the new Century. The superior finish for the paint has been achieved by seven layers of coating. A wet sanding technique is carried out three times to smooth out the minute unevenness. It also gets a mirror finish.
4. The new Century's wheelbase has increased by 65mm to 3,090mm and that liberates more interior space for the rear passenger. The car also sits lower to the floor by 15mm making the ingress and egress easier than before.
5. The interior of new Century features wood trim. A raised ceiling design and exclusive fabric with a slanting lattice motif create refined look inside the cabin.
6. Making the car a noise-proof machine is one of the agenda by a seamless installation of noise-proofing materials. The active noise control system additionally reduces noise and vibration when the engine starts.
7. The Century's rear left-side passenger seat comes with electric extending leg rest, massage function and an 11.3-inch entertainment system with 20 speakers and a 7-inch touchpad control module.
8. The new Century is powered by hybrid system consisting of 5.0-litre V8 engine working in tandem with an electric motor. The V8 mill develops 375bhp while the electric motor dishes out 221bhp taking the overall output to 596bhp.
9. The Century comes with Toyota Safety Sense and also features a Blind Spot Monitor to detect oncoming vehicles in adjacent lanes. The parking support alert helps parking by detecting the surrounding conditions.
10. New Century also boasts off Helpnet, an automatic emergency reporting system that activates if the airbag is deployed. In such cases, a Helpnet system operator automatically contacts the authorities (police and fire departments).
