Buried in recent automotive chatter is an intriguing rumor, first run by Japanese magazine, “Magazine X,” that Toyota — a brand best known for reliability and practicality — might be preparing a mega high-end super-luxury flagship with a V12 engine to take on the old boys like Bentley and Rolls-Royce. The whispers started in early 2026, centering on Toyota’s Century marque — now officially a standalone ultra-luxury brand positioned above Lexus — and a coupé concept that could serve as the brand’s halo product. According to reports derived from Japanese automotive publications and subsequent reporting from outlets like MotorTrend and The Drive, there’s speculation the new Century coupé could be powered by a V12-based plug-in hybrid producing 800 horsepower, with power sent through an advanced all-wheel-drive system.
Toyota itself has confirmed nothing, but the rumor is serious enough that it’s reshaping the way we view the future of Toyota’s premium ambitions. What makes this particularly compelling is the arc of the Toyota Century’s story — a vehicle born from conservative luxury, evolving through the V12 era and now seemingly poised to re-enter super-luxury territory with unprecedented ambition. This is a story that ties heritage, ambition, and strategic brand evolution together, and could mark a profound shift in how Toyota competes on the global luxury stage.
Toyota’s Rumored V12 Flagship: What We Know (And What We Don’t)
According to AutoBlog, starting in mid-2025, multiple automotive news outlets began referencing reports from automotive media in Japan — including mentions of a V12 engine incorporated into a forthcoming plug-in hybrid Century coupe that could deliver around 800 horsepower, likely from a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 with electric assistance. This setup would pair with Toyota’s E-Four all-wheel-drive system and an automatic transmission, theoretically enabling both grand touring comfort and effortless highway cruising.
Rumors Point To Super-Powered Luxury Coupe
It’s important to note that these details remain rumors. Toyota has not publicly confirmed engine specifications, horsepower figures, or even a production timeline. The primary source for these speculations appears to be Japanese automotive publications and appraisals of Toyota’s concept unveilings, which Autoblog summarized in its January 2026 write-up — and those need to be treated as informed hearsay until Toyota makes a definitive announcement. Still, a rumored V12 return is exciting, especially since it echoes a rare and storied part of Toyota’s own history.
V12 Or Not, Toyota Is Working On Something Big
While the specifics around a 600 to 800-horsepower V12 remain unconfirmed, Toyota has officially stated that the Century brand will expand beyond its traditional role and sit above Lexus as the company’s flagship luxury marque. Chairman Akio Toyoda and Toyota’s chief branding officer have outlined plans to position Century as “top of the top,” giving Lexus more freedom to innovate while Century focuses on high-end, bespoke offerings. That statement alone signals Toyota’s intent to play in the ultra-luxury sandbox. And that is what makes the V12 rumors significant: they aren’t arising in isolation, but rather alongside a clear brand repositioning that explicitly aims to challenge heritage luxury names.
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The Century Brand: Evolving From Obscure Chauffeur Car To Ultra-Premium Lifestyle Brand
Century’s story begins in 1967, when Toyota introduced its flagship sedan to commemorate the 100th anniversary of company founder Sakichi Toyoda’s birth. It was conceived as a pace-setter in Japanese automotive luxury, a chauffeur-driven car for executives, political leaders, and VIPs. For decades, it remained a symbol of discreet, understated excellence — a Japanese counterpoint to Western luxury sedans.
The Century name wasn’t just a trim level; it represented the pinnacle of Toyota’s craftsmanship. For most of its existence, the vehicle was sold almost exclusively in Japan, where it became the trusted mode of transport for prime ministers, CEOs, and dignitaries. This exclusivity and cultural status have stayed central to its identity. It’s clear that, despite whatever powers this new Century, Toyota is trying to reclaim that identity.
From Flagship Sedan to Standalone Marque
Early Century branding and teasers emphasize bespoke tailoring and individualized super-luxury — summed up in the slogan “One of One.” The planned rollout involves high-end, highly customizable vehicles that aren’t mass-market affairs but rather crafted experiences. Toyota envisions special “Century Meisters,” specialists in dealerships trained to deliver a personalized purchasing process akin to what buyers experience with Rolls-Royce, Bentley, or Maybach — a step beyond anything Lexus currently offers.
This is crucial context: Toyota isn’t merely slapping a luxury badge on a car and calling it a day. It’s attempting to build a brand that competes on the same emotional and experiential turf as century-old luxury names, a hard hill to climb, indeed.
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Century’s V12 Heritage And What That Means Today
Long before luxury SUVs dominated the market, Toyota built the Century sedan with the kind of engineering that defied expectations for a brand mostly known for economy and practicality. From 1967 until 1997, the Toyota Century lumbered important people around with the help of various V8 powertrains. While offering plenty of power, none of these V8s were overly special or luxurious. That all changed in 1997 when the Century was completely redesigned and given a 5.0-liter V12 engine, the 1GZ-FE, which produced around 280 PS (276–299 horsepower) and 460 Nm (about 340 pound-feet) of torque. This made the Century the first and only Japanese production car with a V12 engine — a fact that still astonishes people today.
That engine wasn’t about outrageous output by today’s standards; it was about smooth power delivery, effortless torque, and refined execution. More so than any of that, a V12 is inherently special. It was the addition of this engine that launched the Century’s ultra-premium reputation into the stratosphere. Today, that legacy feeds the narrative around a potential V12 return: the Century already has the historical precedent for such a powerplant, and in 2026, giving a super-luxury car a V12 just feels like what carmakers do.
Legacy Meets Future Ambition
After the V12 Century ended in 2017, Toyota replaced it with a hybrid V8 or hybrid V6 in the third-generation sedan, blending tradition with modern technology. More recently, Century has offered plug-in hybrid SUVs and luxury sedans, but the space for a V12 flagship has been abdicated. If the new rumors are true and Toyota revives a V12 — albeit in a hybridized, high-output format — it’s not just jumping on the high-output-bandwagon: it’s connecting to heritage and reputation in a very Toyota way. It would be a statement that combines old-school engineering confidence with contemporary expectations for power and luxury. For a brand positioning itself against Rolls-Royce and Bentley — both of which still use very large engines — this is a logical narrative arc.
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Why This Matters: Toyota, Luxury, And The Future
Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and similar marques (if there really even are comparable carmakers) have an aura forged over more than a century of bespoke vehicles, ultra-luxury craftsmanship, exclusivity, and the names to go along with it. For Toyota to place Century above Lexus and to talk about playing in the same arena is a bold move that reflects confidence in the company’s ability to deliver a compelling product. This makes even more sense when you realize how popular Toyota truly is.
People are happy to spend way more on a Toyota because of its reputation for reliability, despite Toyota mostly making less luxurious or performance-focused models than some brands like Kia, which sell fancier cars for less money. It makes perfect sense that Toyota would dust off the old super-luxury model and build a brand around it. For Toyota, the mission isn’t to sell hundreds of thousands of these vehicles, but rather to sell a handful of deeply personalized, emotionally resonant automobiles that can stand toe-to-toe with the storied names of the luxury world.
The Global Luxury Market Is Changing — And Toyota Wants In
Luxury car buyers are increasingly diverse, with an appetite for vehicles that reflect individual taste as much as simply how much money they have. Toyota’s Century brand, with its bespoke focus and potential V12 flagship, aims to merge Japanese craftsmanship, modern luxury expectations, and a strategic move beyond Lexus’s broader performance and design ambitions. If Toyota truly delivers a production V12-powered ultra-luxury coupe that rivals the output and presence of Rolls-Royce or Bentley, it will mark a seismic shift — not just in Toyota’s lineup, but in the global luxury landscape.
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TopSpeed’s Take
At the intersection of heritage, ambition, and global strategy lies Toyota’s Century brand — once a Japan-only symbol of success, now being repositioned to take on the most exclusive automotive houses. Rumors of a V12 flagship making 800 horsepower have electrified enthusiasts and even shocked some Toyota Faithfuls. But it’s worth noting that even without official confirmation, these rumors signal a larger intent: Toyota wants to compete at the very top, and likely will.
Century’s lineage — from the original chauffeur sedans through the V12 era and into the modern hybrid age — gives it a unique story among luxury marques. Whether the rumored V12 coupe becomes reality or evolves differently, Century’s expansion represents a turning point in how Toyota views luxury and its own reputation.
Sources: Toyota, MotorTrend, The Drive