Can Toyota Take on Rolls and Bentley?

photo: Toyota

Can Toyota break into the ultraluxury space dominated by Rolls-Royce and Bentley? They think they can, with plans to spin off the nearly sixty-year-old Toyota Century nameplate into a separate brand (not unlike what Hyundai did with Genesis). We’ll see a dramatic coupe concept at the Japan Mobility Show in a couple of weeks--and perhaps learn a little more about how they plan to pull this off--but, until then, a few points to ponder...

• Toyota has already tried selling the Century outside Japan--but the previous generation (which ran from 1997 to 2018) only sold 27 units. Clearly, a new strategy is required to take things global.

• Toyota’s website suggests that they have the talented craftsmen to match the capability of the Europeans, so it appears they can check off that box. However, the website doesn’t go into any detail about bespoke capabilities--a requirement in this market. The downloadable catalogs (in Japanese only) seem to show somewhat limited interior and exterior, although various online articles suggest more customization is available. Current Century models are sold through Toyota dealers in Japan (with the help of specially trained “Century Meisters”) and through Lexus dealers outside Japan. Clearly, a separate channel and purchase experience would be required to address the expectations of ultraluxury buyers.

• With sedan production limited to 50 per month and SUVs to only 30 per month, it certainly fits the definition of exclusivity. However, building a global ultraluxury ecosystem suggests Toyota will need higher volumes to support the investment.

• The current Century sedan seems to fit the definition of a bespoke sedan, with a unique platform, sheetmetal, and powertrain. However, the emphasis continues to be on being driven, not driving--something that might want to change if Toyota wants to broaden their reach beyond Japanese diplomats.

• The newer Century “SUV” (which doesn’t seem to have an actual name other than “New Century”, confusingly) aspires to be a Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Bentley Bentayga--but it’s more of an extremely fancy Lexus TX550h+, sharing the same front-wheel-drive proportions and V6 hybrid powertrain. And while the website goes into a fair amount of detail about the craftsmanship behind the sedan, it’s not clear the SUV gets the same attention.

Is this doable? Toyota has deep pockets, and might be able to poach some of the talent they need to build Century outside of Japan. Let’s see if more details surface in a few weeks...

#toyota #century #ultraluxury #rollsroyce #bentley