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Toyota Century Coupe Could Revive the V-12

Toyota has never been a company that chases headlines for the sake of it. But the Century Coupe—first seen as a blazing-orange concept and now reportedly headed for production—looks like a deliberate attempt to do something un-Toyota: shock the luxury world awake. And if the latest whispers out of Japan are true, it might do so with the most outrageous powertrain Toyota has ever put into a road car.

Forget the sensible 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 that underpins the GR GT. The Century Coupe is rumored to arrive with a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 paired with plug-in-hybrid assistance, good for more than 800 horsepower. Yes, a Toyota with a V-12 in the 2020s. That sentence alone feels like it was smuggled in from an alternate timeline.

For a brand that just spun the Century nameplate into a standalone ultra-luxury marque, the move actually makes a twisted kind of sense. Century isn’t Lexus-plus. It’s Toyota’s answer to Rolls-Royce: understated, obsessively engineered, and designed to be bought by people who never talk about what they drive. A twelve-cylinder halo car is exactly the kind of statement that tells the world this isn’t just another fancy Camry.

A V-12, but Whose?

What’s still a mystery is where this V-12 would come from. Toyota hasn’t built one since the Century sedan quietly retired its own in-house twelve-cylinder in favor of a hybrid V-8 in 2018. That old engine made a modest 425 horsepower—not exactly the stuff of hypercar legend.

One theory floating around Japanese outlet Mag X is that Toyota could Frankenstein together two of BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-sixes—the same basic architecture used in the outgoing Supra. On paper, that gets you a neat, modern 6.0-liter V-12 without starting from scratch. In reality, it sounds like a branding nightmare. Century is supposed to be Toyota’s purest expression of itself, not a luxury coupe with Bavarian DNA hiding under the hood.

More likely, Toyota will do what it always does at the top of its game: quietly spend a fortune developing something bespoke, over-engineered, and built to last far longer than anyone expects.

Luxury With a Launch Control

To keep all that power from going up in smoke, the Century Coupe is expected to come standard with Toyota’s E-Four all-wheel-drive system. Gearbox choices are rumored to include either an eight-speed or a ten-speed automatic—both very Toyota solutions, focused less on drama and more on smooth, unflappable torque delivery.

The production car should stay visually close to the concept, though some of the weirder elements are likely to disappear. Those chunky black wheel arches and the SUV-like ride height felt more like a design team flex than a coherent statement. Expect something sleeker, lower, and more fitting for a six-figure grand tourer.

Inside, things should become more conventional, too. The concept’s two-seat layout—with the lone rear passenger riding behind the front passenger in chauffeur-spec comfort—was amusing but wildly impractical. A proper four-seat layout makes far more sense, especially if Toyota wants this thing to actually get driven.

Bentley Money, Toyota Promises

The price? Start mentally north of $200,000 and work your way up. Reports suggest Japanese pricing between 30 and 70 million yen, which puts the Century Coupe squarely in Bentley Continental GT and Rolls-Royce Wraith territory.

That’s bold, but Toyota isn’t trying to out-plush Bentley. Its pitch is different: combine that level of exclusivity and performance with something those brands don’t usually brag about—bulletproof reliability. If Toyota really can build an 800-plus-horsepower hybrid V-12 coupe that doesn’t need a specialist on speed dial, that could be the Century’s real party trick.

The production Century Coupe is expected to arrive in 2027, timed to celebrate the model’s 60th anniversary and the full launch of Century as its own brand. And while nothing is official, it’s hard to imagine Toyota spending this kind of money just to keep it a Japan-only curiosity.

If it does come to North America, the Century Coupe won’t just be another ultra-luxury import. It’ll be a philosophical grenade lobbed into a segment dominated by European excess: a quiet, terrifyingly powerful reminder that Toyota, when it wants to, can build absolutely anything.

Source: Toyota

NEW CARS

The Century Coupe: Japan’s Crown Jewel Goes Rogue

The 2025 Japan Mobility Show is shaping up to be less of an auto expo and more of a fever dream for people who like their cars slightly unhinged. Lexus is already flirting with absurdity by turning the stately LS into a luxury minivan, but it’s another Toyota offshoot that’s properly stealing the spotlight. Step aside, chauffeurs — the Century has gone rogue.

Yes, that Century — Japan’s most aristocratic set of wheels, the one that’s spent decades wafting prime ministers and emperors around in monastic silence. Traditionally, it’s been Toyota’s ultimate expression of restraint and craftsmanship: a stately sedan powered by a whispering V12, later by a hybrid V8, and most recently, reincarnated as a cushy SUV. Now, however, the brand has decided to throw its silk gloves out the window and build… a coupe.

And what a coupe it is. Think less “Gran Turismo” and more “rolling art installation.” Teaser shots reveal a long, tall shape that’s unmistakably Century yet oddly futuristic — complete with sliding doors, no B-pillars, and what appears to be a central driving position. Yes, Toyota might have gone full McLaren F1 on its most conservative nameplate. The steering “wheel” is rectangular, because of course it is, and the rear glass is gone entirely — a design quirk straight out of the Polestar playbook.

From the front, it looks imperious. The vast grille — still wearing the golden phoenix badge like a royal crest — isn’t fully closed, which hints there may still be a combustion engine somewhere in there. Vents on the bonnet seem to support that theory, suggesting this might not be purely electric after all. The dual-layer LED lighting gives off Genesis vibes, while the stance is unusually upright for a coupe — as if someone tried to crossbreed a grand tourer with a luxury monolith.

Toyota describes it as a “one of one”, so this might be a bespoke commission for someone with a garage full of rarities and a phone number that starts with “+81.” Or it could be a concept car — a design manifesto showing how far the Century brand can stretch. Either way, it’s a strong signal: Toyota wants the world to notice the Century name.

Until recently, the Century was a Japan-only affair, quietly existing in a parallel universe where chauffeurs wore white gloves and V12s purred in perfect harmony. But with the launch of the SUV and now this coupe, the brand’s ambitions are clearly expanding. Toyota has already hinted that the Century family will go global — and if this is the new design direction, Rolls-Royce and Bentley might want to pay attention.

The Century Coupe will make its full debut at the end of the month at the Japan Mobility Show, where it’ll share floor space with a new Corolla concept (because Toyota never forgets its everyman roots). But make no mistake — this is the headline act.

From chauffeur’s car to showstopper, the Century’s transformation might just be the boldest thing Toyota’s done in years. And if this is what “Japanese luxury” looks like in 2025, the rest of the world better start taking notes.

Source: Toyota