Toyota boss bets on Rolls-Royce style to create the thrilling Urus

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda is an unabashed car enthusiast, and being the boss of the world’s largest automaker has its advantages.

One advantage is that he has a collection of cars that are based on current production models, but with enough performance tweaks to make them more desirable.

Among his many vehicles is a prototype of the Toyota Century GRMN SUV, which was unveiled last year after the brand moved away from its traditional luxury sedan roots to an all-new high-riding model.

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Speaking to existing Century owners, Toyoda said he wanted to “build a GRMN that many people around the world can drive,” with plans to sell the car in Japan and China.

Unlike the standard Century, which is aimed at more traditional luxury SUV customers, the GRMN version features lots of carbon fiber exterior trim and black 22-inch wheels to give it a bolder look.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about the Toyota Century GRMN, although the model’s standard specifications give us a rough idea.

The Century SUV is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine paired with two electric motors (one for the front and rear axles) that can generate up to 303kW of power, driving all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission.

It’s unlikely that the old Century Sedan will offer its hybrid V8 engine to the GRMN, as the two models ride on completely different platforms.

Like other hardcore GRMN variants like the upcoming Supra GRMN, the Century is expected to receive further boost to increase its output, as well as stiffen its suspension to improve handling.

Until Toyota puts the Century GRMN into production, we can only speculate on its capabilities, but we’re unlikely to see it in the brand’s Australian showrooms as the model has never been officially sold here.

That hasn’t stopped third-party importers from bringing in previous generations of the Century, with the most popular choice being the V12-powered versions from the late 1990s to the mid-2010s.

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