Very interesting indeed...
And we're talking substantially more expensive than Lexus!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterly...h=396b74753399
I think this first offering is VERY nice. Naturally the SUV craze and demand are as high as ever.
Quote:
At last week’s Tokyo Auto Salon, a Toyota executive dropped a bombshell as we were standing in front of the Toyota Century GRMN (stands for Gazoo Racing Meister of Nurburgring) concept car, a bespoke SUV belonging to none other than Toyota’s ex-president, Akio Toyoda. While we stood there admiring the vehicle that reportedly cost around $220,000 with options, the executive confirmed something about the new brand that I’d only heard rumors of.
The Toyota executive confirmed that the new Century SUV would be offered in right- and left-hand-drive versions to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas, and that the new model will offer a host of options and upgrades allowing buyers to fully customize their SUVs. Buyers will have a choice of a standard Century, costing around $170,000 or the bespoke GRMN version—like the one you see here—hovering around $220,000.
In addition to bespoke paintwork and aeroparts, one of the highlights of Akio Toyoda’s special Century GRMN is its rail-less powered rear slide door that apparently opens wider than that of a large minivan like an Alphard. The SUV’s suspension has also been specially tuned to remain flat and stable, with the minimum of body roll, even when changing lanes at 100 mph. While Toyota did not mention much about the car’s powerplant, we expect the bespoke version to get the same 406-hp 3.5-liter V6 hybrid with all-wheel-drive.
In fact, according to our source, Toyota are thinking of offering Toyoda’s bespoke Century GRMN as one fully customized ‘complete car’ in its own right, and call it the ‘Morizo Edition,’ after Akio Toyoda’s nickname used in motor sport circles. But you will require around $220,000 for that Morizo version.
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