Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is an unashamed automotive fanatic, and being the boss of the world’s largest automobile producer has its perks.
One such benefit is having his personal assortment of vehicles primarily based on present manufacturing fashions, however with sufficient efficiency tweaks to make them much more fascinating.
Amongst his many autos is the Toyota Century GRMN SUV prototype, unveiled final yr after the nameplate pivoted from its conventional luxurious sedan roots to make a brand new further high-riding mannequin.
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Talking to present Toyota Century house owners, Toyoda-san stated he needs “to make a GRMN that many individuals from all over the world can journey”, with potential plans to promote it in Japan and China.
Not like the usual Century, which is focused at extra conventional luxurious SUV prospects, the GRMN model options intensive carbon fibre exterior trim and black 22-inch wheels, giving it an much more aggressive stance.
Sadly, not a lot is thought concerning the specifics of Toyoda-san’s Century GRMN, although the mannequin’s commonplace specs present a style of what may be anticipated.
The Century SUV is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 which is paired with two electrical motors – one for the entrance and rear axles, respectively – to provide as much as 303kW, driving all 4 wheels by a repeatedly variable transmission.
It’s unlikely the older Century Sedan would lend its hybrid V8 to the GRMN, as the 2 fashions are on fully completely different platforms.
As with different hardcore GRMN variants such because the upcoming Supra GRMN, it’s anticipated the Century would obtain a lift to additional enhance its outputs, in addition to enhancements to its suspension to enhance dealing with.
Till Toyota places the Century GRMN into manufacturing correct, we will solely guess about what it’ll characteristic, although it’s extremely unlikely we’ll see it within the model’s Australian showrooms because the nameplate has by no means been formally bought right here.
That hasn’t stopped third-party importers from bringing in earlier generations of Century, with the most well-liked selection being the V12-powered model from the late Nineteen Nineties by to the mid 2010s.
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