Considered Toyota’s most luxurious car, the Century is now becoming a high-end brand in its own right. New information suggests that despite its push to establish an ultra-luxury brand, its first vehicle will not be an all-electric (EV) as anticipated.

Contrary to Expectations, Its First Model Will Come with an Internal Combustion Engine!

First introduced in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Toyota founder Sakichi Toyoda, the Century has since become a symbol of status and wealth in Japan. It is often used as an official car by high-profile company officials and government officials.

Toyota first teased the future of the ultra-luxury brand at the Japan Mobility Show in October 2025, launching Century as a standalone brand positioned above even Lexus. The new Century brand aims to compete directly with high-end automakers like Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

However, contrary to expectations of an ambitious electric future, it has been learned that the new brand’s first vehicle will be powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE). Toyota’s powertrain chief, Takashi Uehara, confirmed to CarExpert that the luxury brand’s first vehicle will feature an internal combustion engine.

While Uehara didn’t provide any further details about the engine type, he confirmed the decision by saying, “Yes, it will have an engine.” Toyota’s powertrain chief indicated that the Century, like the next-generation Lexus supercar and the upcoming Toyota GR GT, could also feature a V8 engine.

Historically, the Century was Toyota’s only vehicle with a V12 engine before abandoning the V12 engine in favor of a V8 hybrid powertrain in its third generation in 2018. The brand’s first SUV, launching in Japan in 2023, is available with a V6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system.

Toyota, considered one of the world’s biggest laggards in the transition to all-electric vehicles, has reinforced this position by focusing on developing a new range of internal combustion engines for upcoming models.

Century is positioned as one of the Japanese automotive giant’s five global brands, along with Daihatsu, GR Sport, Lexus, and Toyota, which were introduced in October.