Toyota Enggan Calls The Latest Century An SUV

Century. (Doc.Toyota Global)

JAKARTA - Toyota last month presented the latest generation of Century which has been turned into an SUV. More importantly, this manufacturer maintains luxury in this model.

This car is referred to as a 'trick' from Rolls-Royce Cullinan and offers a number of luxurys aimed at executives to royal families.

As an SUV, Century provides a wide space and high-level comfort that is suitable for luxury utility vehicles. Despite its SUV characteristics, Toyota was reluctant to call it such.

Yoshikazu Tanaka, Chief Engineer of Toyota, explained that Century is focused on the comfort of rear seat passengers and has never been designed as an SUV.

From this point of view, we never intended to make it an SUV. I describe this car as a new concept in driver-run mobility," Tanaka explained, quoted from the Toyota Times, Saturday, October 7.

Tatsuya Sonoda, a Toyota designer, added that Century is more than just an ordinary model of Toyota. This car maintains its long legacy by developing various aspects according to the times.

"The Century has characteristics that include the physical posture and aura of the car. We have discussed what aspects will be maintained and what needs to be updated," said Sonoda.

For more than four decades, Century has offered extraordinary luxury, comfort, and calm, both when piloted by drivers and as passengers. No wonder Century has always been a favorite choice in Japan, able to realize the autotenashi spirit, namely unrivaled hospitality.

Toyota introduced this latest luxury SUV with an elegant design that reflects the characteristics of the Century series. Not only that, but Toyota also presents the latest technology in this car.

Powered by Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) technology, this luxury car has a V6 3.5 liter engine that produces 406 dk of power while maintaining a quiet steering that is perfect for Century. The PHEV system is designed to function as a pure electric vehicle for daily use and as a hybrid vehicle for long-distance travel.

This machine is paired with an e-CVT transmission developed by Toyota with an all-wheel drive system or E-Four Advanced. This car can run on pure electric power up to 69 km.

The car is manufactured at the Tahara Plant and sold for around 25 million yen or around Rp. 2.6 billion. Century will only be available in several special dealers in Japan and sales will be limited to 30 units per month.