We knew Century was going to become its own marque separate from Toyota, and now it’s official as official can be. A new Century showroom has opened in Tokyo. To drive the point home, the inaugural window display has a classic 1967 Century sedan and the new Century Coupe.
Called the Century Studio, it’s sits in its own corner of the Lexus Aoyama dealership. Located along National Route 246, it’s just a couple of blocks from the former Honda headquarters building that you may have raced past in Gran Turismo 4. Not surprisingly, the area is one of the wealthiest in Tokyo. Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda was among the first visitors.
Here’s a photo I took while trying to juggle my phone, my mamachari handlebars, and the mirrored traffic rules in my head at that exact location in 2013. Notice the prominent Lexus branding on the building on the right.
This is how the building looks now. Note that the Lexus logo has been removed from the building. For what it’s worth, this Google Maps image was snapped in 2023, though the logo was still present in October 2022.
The interior has been completely transformed from its previous look. Ambient lighting and warm wood motifs have replaced the bright white gallery that once displayed Lexus vehicles. A big indigo shippo-tsunagi banner emphasizes the Japanese craftsmanship that goes into Century cars.
Back in 2020, Toyota consolidated its labyrinthine network of dealerships under a single banner, leaving only two types of dealerships in Japan, Toyota and Lexus. Now it looks like Toyota is expanding again, with Toyota, Lexus, Gazoo Racing, and now Century showrooms providing different cars and dealership experiences.
Images: Toyota, Century
It hurts me to say this, but the new Century Coupe is… butt ugly.