A car
Positioning itself in the top luxury travel sector and the Rolls-Royce Mirage and Bentley Mulsannes class Since its birth in 1967, it has only undergone two generations of first-generation models and second-generation models for a full thirty years... It is the "ceiling" of Japanese cars - Toyota Century.
Recently, the news that Toyota Century is going to introduce China has been very loud, the reason is very simple, at the end of August this year, Toyota China registered the "CENTURY" trademark in the State Intellectual Property and Trademark Office, and it is clear that Toyota China's behavior must have its intentions.
Although the official has not yet announced what toyota's intention is to register the CENTURY trademark in China, to this day, Toyota Century, as Japan's "national treasure" sedan, has not been introduced into the Chinese market through official channels.
In the vast 9.6 million kilometers of land, there are only a few Toyota Century running, and all of them are right-hand drive models, and their sources are basically only two, one is the Japanese embassy or consulate retired used cars in the civilian sector; the other is to introduce two license plates through Hong Kong, Macao and other regions.
Whether introduced or not, Toyota executives are very cautious about this car, neither do any publicity, nor do any tasting, even at the top domestic auto show, it was only officially unveiled once at the 1999 Shanghai Auto Show, full of mystery.
In Guangdong and other places, if your car is a Toyota Century, then the return rate on the road will not be lower than Rolls-Royce and Bentley, and even parked together without any sense of violation.
Although the number of domestic ownership is extremely rare, the Toyota Century is not a mysterious model, and many parameters are also well documented. In 1967, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of founder Sakichi Toyoda, Toyota introduced the Toyota Centry, based on the Crown Eight, which became the most luxurious model Ever launched by Toyota. The original model was only equipped with a Toyota 3.0L V8 engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission, but this was already the top car technology in Toyota and the world at that time.
The original model was "tinkered" with a lifespan of an astonishing 30 years, and it was not until 1997 that Toyota launched the second generation.
Obviously, the long-term non-replacement has made Toyota hold back too much technology, and as the totem of the Toyota car brand, this car must be built at any cost, the core of which is the installation of the 5.0L V12 engine. Friends familiar with cars know that after the 1980s, the 12-cylinder engine has become a giant panda-like role, no longer a representative of advanced manufacturing technology, it has more assumed the identity of a technical totem.
Toyota in the past half century of product positioning, has been known for cost-effective, leather durable, at this time the brand urgently need a high-end model to prove themselves, so equipped with 5.0L V12 engine Toyota Century came into being. Although the parameters are not as grumpy as the British and German products of the same level, the victory is in the power output is not shocking, powerful, and with the Japanese proud of the "craftsman quality", making it doubly famous in the world.
Today, the third-generation model we are familiar with was launched in 2018, and compared with the second-generation model, although the length and wheelbase have been further increased, even a lap larger than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, its power system has "shrunk".
The third generation of Toyota Century is equipped with a hybrid system composed of a 5.0L V8 engine + motor, which smart friends already know, which is the one on the Lexus LS600h. In the case of a significant increase in power and body weight, fuel consumption has been further reduced, and the official fuel consumption of 100 kilometers is only 7.35L.
The larger body gives more space, but Toyota engineers still keep the car in the top home comfort style, rather than the exaggerated palace vision of the modified car. In the configuration list, the material of the vehicle seat is available in leather, but the top model is still a cloth seat made of this velvet material, with the embellishment of solid wood decorative stripes, warm and noble.
The creation of many details also makes this third-generation Toyota Century full of refinement, and at the same time, the handmade gimmick also makes it double its price. In Japan, the third-generation Toyota Century starts at 19.6 million yen, equivalent to about 1.16 million yuan, and gives priority to supplying the Japanese market demand. The ultra-high premium and severe supply shortage have led to the car being extremely scarce and sought-after outside of Japan, remember its only appearance at the Shanghai Auto Show in 1999? At the time, it sold for 2.8 million yuan, almost the price of 10 suites in Shanghai.
Although the price of Toyota Century in Japan is not expensive, it is always under the illusion that this car, whether official or other channels to introduce, its cost performance is only a little advantage compared with rolls-Royce Mirage and Bentley Mulsanne and other models.