Aside from its Lexus luxury brand, Toyota is largely known for its middle-class-friendly lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs, which is a big reason it’s the world's No. 2 carmaker measured by market capitalization, behind Tesla.
The Japanese-based auto giant (TM) -) is looking to step up these days, with help from an unlikely source – its $170,000 Century sedan, which some call the CEO-mobile because so many Japanese executives own one. Even the emperor reportedly rolls around in one.
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On Sept. 6 Toyota did some rolling out of its own, unveiling the latest version of the Century. The new model is a bigger, hybrid vehicle that “from the start had its eyes on the world,” Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said at a company event in Tokyo, as reported in The Wall Street Journal.
First introduced in 1967, the Century commemorated the centenary of the birth of Sakichi Toyoda, founder of the Toyota group.
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“The principles of disciplined creativity that Sakichi lived and worked by remain the core principles of Toyota to this day,” said Simon Humphries, head of design at the company.
A "Century for the new century': Toyota exec
Calling the vehicle a “Century for the new century,” Humphries said Toyota “needed to create a car that allowed the customer to curate their own personal experiences - both practically and emotionally” . . . with “inspiration and creativity as a space to think and relax.”
The vehicle’s plug-in power train enables most Century rides to be silent, with zero emission.
“This, together with four-wheel-steering and four-wheel drive, will allow professional drivers even greater control over vehicle dynamics, providing an even smoother ride for all passengers,” Humphries added.
Toyota will limit Century production to 30 a month and will continue to manufacture the vehicle solely in Japan. The new Century will retail for $170,000 and, at least for now, will be made available to buyers outside Japan through local Toyota dealers in Japan.
There’s no word yet from the car giant about whether or when the new Century or its companion sedan will be sold at Toyota dealerships outside Japan.
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