This week, I went to possibly the biggest new vehicle reveal I've ever been to. In Tokyo for a Mazda MX-5 race, the timing was right for me to tag along as a media guest to the official Toyota Japan reveal of the all new Century. A what? Exactly. Largely a JDM product, some of those with finer vehicular tastes will be more familiar with the Century brand, the ultra-premium arm of Toyota. Since its launch in 1967, just three models of the Century have existed up to now, all premium luxury saloons/sedans.
Most famously, Century is also notable for the second generation - built between a 20-year run from 1997 to 2017 - as the only Japanese production car to run a V12 engine, a 5.0-litre 1GZ-FE motor good for 206kW (thanks to the agreement at the time) or 220kW in export models.
The third gen from 2018 continues today as a luxury sedan, and probably will do for some time, with a 5.0-litre hybrid V8, for 317kW combined.
However, why we're here today is for the reveal of the Century SUV - except it's not an SUV. At least that's what Toyota marketing is saying, suggesting the Century is a brand, and there's the Century sedan, and the SUV-styled Century. But it's not an SUV... got it? No, neither do we.
Anyway, as we walk half a kilometre from parking to the venue in searing 33 degree heat, we arrive to the massive Tokyo Ariake Arena, the home of volleyball at the 2020 Olympics.
Into chilled AC air, down dimly lit dark alleyways, we find the first three generations of Century models, then enter the area proper to a huge area of hundreds of seats laid out for the media, facing a stage, with a raised platform for TV behind us. It's epically extravagant.
I do a quick calculation of the rows and there are more than 300 seats, and another 200 TV crews present! It's easily the biggest motoring media event I've been to, outside of international motor shows and a stark contrast to a typical NZ new car launch, where we we'd see less than 20 media present.
As the clone army of Toyota execs in their white shirts and blue suits fill the left-third of the seating, we're handed press kits, in Japanese... but alas, thanks to my Aussie-in-Japan host and fellow motoring journalist, Peter Lyon, we also get English versions - despite him living in Japan for 35 years and bi-lingual fluent.
The dim auditorium goes dark, and the massive screen and music starts with the history and images of important Toyota people and the run of the Century, for six years more than half a century. I assume. It's all in Japanese, as this is a domestic market event, after all. And fair enough, too.
As the five minute presentation volumes down, our main speaker walks on stage, met by applause: and he's a gaijin! Brit Simon Humphries walks on stage to greet the crowd, as the first non-Asian "Senior General Manager of Design, Head of Design Chief Branding Officer". Fit that on your business card!
Also bi-linugal and Japanese fluent, both Peter and I are both surprised to hear Simon kick off the presentation in what is a strangely familiar dialect: English! No Air NZ-style second presentation in the local language, either, Simon talks through his entire telepromoted 20 minute presentation in the Queen's English, never uttering a word of Japanese.
It's fantastic for us - me in particular - as I get a true undertsanding about Century and the launch of the new not-SUV, rather than looking at pictures and a man talking in a language that I only understand in true tourist basics. So I hear that's it's a truly premium model designed for the new century. That it's a truly bespoke vehicle, able to be tailored in almost any way - including, as the two cars rolls out onto the stage, either conventional opening rear doors, or even sliding rear doors, as displayed by a chauffeur who exits the driver's seat and opens the sliding rear door for the passenger: apparently, a specific request from Toyota president Akio Toyoda himself.
Yes, it definitely looks like other cars: Bentley, Rolls Royce Cullinan come to mind immediately, rather better looking than the latter (though not hard), and those wheels would not look out of place with a rotating RR logo on them.
It has four-wheel steering, E-Four four-wheel drive and a 3.5-litre V6 with PHEV electric power that'll do 70km on its own, which is decent for a vehicle weighing almost 2.6 tonne and 5.2m long.
The attention to detail is quiet remarkable, from the way an artisan hand hammers textures into metals, to the seven coats of paint, hand-polished between each coat.
The hand-craftet phoenix badge is incredible itself, with details so fine it needs to be examined under a microscope to appreciate the craftsmanship. Of course, that's also set up in a separate area for guests to examine.
Toyota expects to sell around 30 units per month in its home market, but of course is keen and certainly able to sell the Century not-SUV into global markets including left-hand-drive. USA and UAE come to mind...
Two hours after it began, the Century not-SUV's embargo is off and the domestic and global press starts to see this epic new model from the word's biggest carmaker.
It's highly unlikely we'll see it in New Zealand showrooms, but for a few hours, it was an amazing glimpse into Japanese car culture: and a lot of it's English.
