The first-generation CENTURY was born as a uniquely Japanese luxury car in 1967. This year marked 100 years since the start of the Meiji period and the 100th anniversary of Toyota Group founder Sakichi Toyoda’s birth.

Sakichi grew up in the transformative years of the early Meiji period. Born in a rural village in Shizuoka, by age fourteen or fifteen, he had started to think that he wanted to help others through invention and serve his country.

Seeing his mother struggle to weave on a handloom of a type commonly used by farmers at the time, he began researching looms, hoping to make the work easier. Through repeated invention and refinement, he completed the Type G Automatic Loom in 1924, the world’s best at the time.

Sakichi’s eldest son, Kiichiro, carried on his resolve and pursued automobile manufacturing, taking on the challenge of creating domestically produced passenger cars. “We are not just building automobiles. With Japanese minds and hands, we must build an automobile industry in Japan.”

Kiichiro Toyoda passed away in 1952 before fully realizing his ambitions. Toyota’s engineers carried his resolve forward.

Kenya Nakamura, Toyota’s first chief engineer (shusa), led the development of the first CENTURY.

Guided by Kiichiro’s vision, Nakamura and Shoichiro Toyoda, together with their colleagues, developed the first model with Japan’s pride at stake.

Nakamura set one rule for the CENTURY: “To Be Like No Other - One of a Kind.”

Development began in 1963. It was thirty years after Toyota started making cars, and only eighteen after the war.

Some people said, “Toyota has no tradition or prestige. Can it be built?”
Such doubts were only natural, and yet...
“Tradition emerges naturally over time. Let’s create a new kind of luxury car unlike anything before. The Achilles’ heel of today’s luxury cars is that there is no innovation.”

With this firm resolve, the team boldly embraced fresh ideas and breakthrough technologies. At the same time, they would honor Japanese craft, such as by incorporating Edo metal engraving for the phoenix emblem and Nishijin-ori brocade for the seat fabric.

To create something “To Be Like No Other - One of a Kind” the team committed to fusing cutting-edge technology with Japanese tradition. In 1967, Toyota introduced the CENTURY, a one-of-a-kind Japanese luxury car.

“To Be Like No Other - One of a Kind” and “the pursuit of the essential” define the CENTURY’s DNA.

With the patronage of leaders across various fields, the car has been cherished as Japan’s singular chauffeur-driven car.

With continual improvement over half a century, the CENTURY as a formal sedan has secured its place as Japan’s preeminent chauffeur-driven car. Chosen by leaders across every field, it embodies Japan’s traditional beauty and master craftsmanship.

The new body type carries the spirit of its sedan predecessor, while meeting the needs of a changing era and diverse lifestyles. Together, the sedan and the SUV—the two wings of the phoenix—will further enrich and expand our customers’ lives.

Furthermore, the GRMN pursues the joy of driving, opening new possibilities for the CENTURY. It combines serene comfort in the rear with true driving pleasure behind the wheel, delivering an experience unlike any before.

The rear cabin adapts as needed: a quiet workspace for deep focus, or a sanctuary for total relaxation. With these many facets, the CENTURY continues to evolve toward the future with the world’s next-generation leaders, while being grounded in an enduring spirit.

Now, a new era for the CENTURY begins.

The CENTURY is reborn as a truly One-of-One brand, combining Formal heritage with a magnetic, alluring Flair.

The CENTURY has been developed in pursuit of the next generation of the chauffeur-driven car. Now, it unites aspects of a driver’s car with a chauffeur-driven car, bringing Japanese beauty and master craftsmanship into a supremely adaptable cabin, and sets forth a new vision of luxury: a car as exquisite as a work of art.

The details include the CENTURY’s signature Shippo cloisonné decorations, passed down through generations of previous models. Traditional crafts such as Nishijin-ori brocade and urushi lacquer are elevated into a modern expression, giving the car unmistakable presence.

The thread spun by Sakichi Toyoda and his successors was woven into a fine fabric. In time it was reborn, like a phoenix, as the sun’s crimson flare, as a flame, carrying Japan’s spirit and beauty to the world.

To weave the next 100 years.
One of One