Century

The Toyota Century is a large four-door limousine produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan; whilst globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model outside Japan. Production of the Century began in 1967 and the model received only minor changes until a redesign in 1997. The Century derived its name from the 100th birthday of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries. The Century was available with only a V8 engine, the third Japanese built sedan post-war, at its introduction in 1967 until a major redesign in 1997, and is now only available with a Toyota built V12, an engine unique to the Century. Although the Century is a premium, full size luxury sedan, it is not available at Japanese Lexus dealerships; it can only be purchased at specifically identified Toyota Store locations. The logo used throughout is called the Hō-ō or Fushichō from Asian mythology, representing the Imperial House of Japan.

The exterior styling of the Century has, with some modifications, remained unchanged since its introduction, primarily due to its perceived social status as the "preferred vehicle denoting conservative success". Its appearance is iconic in Asian countries, usually painted black. The closest Japanese competitor is the Nissan President, with a similar reputation, although during the 1960s and '70s, the high market positioning was also shared with the Mitsubishi Debonair. The Century briefly saw other Japanese competitors introduce large sedans called the Isuzu Statesman de Ville and the Mazda Roadpacer (derived from General Motors-Australia products) which were short-lived.