Toyota’s Ultra-Luxury Division Won’t Follow Jaguar’s Pure EV Direction

Key Points

• Toyota introduced Century, a new ultra-luxury marque above Lexus, at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show.
• Its coupe concept will be entering production soon.
• Century has also confirmed that it will not be a pure EV.

Century: A Cut Above Lexus
During the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Toyota not only introduced a bold luxury coupe, but it also launched a new ultra-luxury marque that sits above Lexus. That brand is Century, and it could soon be Japan’s answer to Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

The Century Coupe looks like a good rival for the likes of the Bentley Continental GT and Rolls-Royce Spectre. Big, bold, and blocky, it has all the potential to ruffle the feathers of British automakers, just as Lexus shocked the Germans back in 1989.

There’s a good chance the Century Sedan and SUV could soon ditch their Toyota labels. Besides, those don’t even wear Toyota badges. Century can effectively hit the ground running once the dealer network is established.

Century Models in a Nutshell
The Century Sedan has been around for nearly 50 years. Introduced in 1967 to commemorate the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. The first generation lasted 30 years until it was redesigned in 1997. It would take another 21 years for the third generation to arrive in 2018.

Move Over, Lexus: Toyota’s Century Brand Takes Luxury Further
For the longest time, the Century came only in sedan form, but that changed in 2023 with the introduction of the SUV version. While it rides on the same platform as the Toyota Grand Highlander, that’s where the similarities end. The interior is as plush as they come, and certainly a cut above the Lexus TX.

As for the Coupe, it’s currently in development, so it might take some time before we see the road-going version. It probably won’t look as bold as the concept, but we have high hopes, nonetheless.

The Future of Century
Toyota confirmed one key detail about the Century brand during the Japan Mobility Show. While we’re expecting every concept to be electric these days, Century won’t be. It’s an interesting move, but one that could prove to be the smart choice given EV sales at the moment.

It was previously mentioned that Century will take a multi-pathway approach, so it’s not closing its doors on what kind of vehicles it will produce. However, Australian publication CarExpert has a more definitive answer. Ladies and gentlemen, the Century brand will have ICE power.

With that, Century won’t be pulling a Jaguar with its planned range of electric luxury vehicles. Takashi Uehara, the head of Toyota’s powertrain division, told Australian media that the Coupe “will have an engine,” and “We have not actually decided which kind of engine will be installed.”

CarExpert noted that an electrified V8 is a likely candidate to power the Century Coupe. The Century Sedan has a hybridized V8, and that setup could also be applied to the upcoming GR GT that’s set to make its world premiere this week. It sounds promising, given that the Continental GT also has an electrified V8 under its long hood. Either way, it’s something to look forward to as Century faces a new chapter.