Toyota has confirmed that its next Century luxury vehicle will not be fully electric and will instead use an internal combustion engine (ICE) powertrain, but the number of cylinders has yet to be decided.
Ahead of a global expansion of the Japanese premium car brand, which has been Toyota’s flagship “VIP” brand since its launch in Japan in 1967, the company told Australian media, among others Daily Sparkz Its powertrain has yet to be determined after showing off a new concept car at the Japan Mobility Show (JMS) in Tokyo in October.
“We have not yet decided what type of engine will be installed,” said Toyota powertrain president Takashi Uehara.
Although he did not provide further details, when asked whether the new Century model will be an internal combustion engine vehicle rather than a battery electric vehicle (EV), Mr Uehara replied: “Yes, it will have an engine.”
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This could include a version of the V8 engine, Mr Uehara said Daily Sparkz will be used in the next-generation Lexus supercar and the upcoming performance flagship Toyota GR GT. The latter is scheduled to be unveiled later this week. However, it is not clear whether it will be used alone or as part of a new V8 petrol-electric hybrid system.
The Century sedan was the only Toyota in the automaker’s history with a V12 engine. The second-generation sedan (1997–2017) was equipped with a 5.0-liter V12 gasoline engine codenamed “1GZ-FE”, a compressed natural gas version of which was also offered in Japan.
The V12 was replaced in 2018 for the third generation Century sedan with the 2UR-FSE petrol V8 hybrid powertrain, incorporating the same engine as the Lexus LS600h sold in Australia between 2004 and 2012.
The V8 comes from the same family of Toyota/Lexus V8 engines that power models including the Lexus IS F sports sedan (below), sold here between 2007 and 2014, and the related RC F coupe offered in Australia between 2016 and 2021.
It is also used in the larger Lexus LC500 sports car range sold here and the LS500 sedan offered abroad – although production of final versions of both models will reportedly not continue until 2026.
Century introduced its first SUV in 2023 and is currently sold in Japan with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline-powered plug-in hybrid system as well as the V8-powered Century sedan.
As part of its “multi-pathway” propulsion strategy, Toyota has developed a new generation of internal combustion engines designed for various global applications.
Toyota’s new ICE family features a modular design, meaning the number of cylinders can be changed depending on the model, while the engines can be installed transversely or longitudinally for front, all-wheel and rear-wheel drive arrangements.
“There are many combinations available,” Mr. Uehara said.
“Now the time needed for development is much shorter, so it will actually happen soon.”
Century was announced in October as one of the five global brands of Toyota Motor Corporation, which includes Toyota, Daihatsu, GR Sport, Lexus and Century.
Lexus Australia told Daily Sparkz At the JMS he indicated that the Century brand was being considered for launch in Australia but had not yet been finalized for that market.
As part of its global expansion, Century will be offered through Lexus dealers rather than standalone showrooms.
There is no confirmation as to when the first truly global Century model will be introduced and where it will be sold worldwide.
Separately, Toyota Australia has also confirmed that the Daihatsu small car and commercial vehicle brand, which was last sold here in 2006, is not eligible to return to Australia in the short term.
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