Remember the mysterious Toyota Century GRMN that
appeared online a few days ago? As it turns out, this one-off is the new
company car of Toyota chief executive Akio Toyoda. He’s not afraid to show it
off either. Late last week, the managers behind Toyoda’s Facebook page shared an
image of the vehicle, complete with a host of eye-catching GRMN parts. Later
that day, Akio San was spotted sliding into the vehicle’s rear seat in front of
a crowd of local journalists, clearly not shy of offering the world a glimpse
of the unexpected creation.
Hilariously, Akio San told members of the media that
he had been specifically told “not to drift” the Century GRMN as it’s outfitted
with a plethora of expensive development parts. From what the images available
show, the hotted-up luxury sedan includes a custom bodykit with black trimmings
from GRMN. Additionally, there are aftermarket wheels, Yokohama Advan tires, a
small carbon fiber rear spoiler, and white brake calipers.
It seems almost certain that the car also has some
special things going on under the skin. Mystery still surrounds the car,
however. For example, we still have no idea why it was created and why Akio San
is so happy to be pictured in the vehicle. Perhaps it’s all been orchestrated
as a PR stunt to show that the Japanese marque can have fun? Alternatively,
Toyota may be seriously considering bringing a Century GRMN to the market and
is using this one-off as a marketing tool and a way of gauging the public’s
interest in such a model?
Whatever the answer is, it’s clear that Toyota is no
longer the company purely chasing volume sales it was just a few short years
ago.
