During car launch presentations, you’ll find that what’s being flashed in the keynote presentation is often just as important as what’s being actually shown onstage.
The image above was taken from Toyota’s global reveal of the Century SUV in Japan. Toward the end of the presentation, chief branding officer Simon Humphries touched on ‘opportunities’ to customize its new flagship, which he said was designed to “[allow] the customer to curate their own personal experiences, both practically and emotionally.”
He continued: “Naturally, every Century can be tailor-made to your requirements, whether that’s color or materials or seat configurations, or even down to how you choose to alight from the vehicle on arrival. In other words, you can even choose your own door—whether that’s the ultra-wide swing door, or maybe something a little bit more dramatic.” At which point, the vehicle to the right revealed its rear sliding doors.
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It’s not just the doors that are different on that particular unit. “If you want to drive the vehicle yourself at the weekend,” Humprhies said, “the GRMN will certainly not disappoint.”
GRMN is the pinnacle of Gazoo Racing’s projects, positioned above the GR-badged models like the GR Yaris and the GR Corolla. Think GRMN Yaris and GRMN Mark X—they’re a true flex of the Japanese carmaker’s tuning prowess.
Humphries didn’t go into the performance specs of the dressed-up Century SUV onstage, but apart from the GR logo on the grille, it was wearing carbon-fiber bodykit, including a front splitter with the model name spelled out. Red brake calipers were also peeking from behind a different set of rims.
Then, the presentation showed the profile of a soft-top convertible Century SUV, with Humphries simply saying, “The possibilities are endless and open to discussion.”
We called the Century SUV a “Rolls-Royce fighter,” and the British luxury marque is known for creating highly bespoke one-offs to suit the taste and needs of customers. Toyota is now confirming its willingness to do the same for buyers who can splurge out well beyond the standard Century SUV’s ¥25 million (P9.7 million) asking price.
“The car is an expression and an extension of customers’ values... We provide the opportunity for people to choose how they wish to express themselves,” said Humpries.
