by Announcement of a Mysterious Project
Toyota has launched an intriguing teaser campaign dedicated to a new joint project involving the brands Lexus, Century, Gazoo Racing (GR), and Daihatsu. The information is intentionally limited and cryptic, but a dedicated website has started a countdown to October 13. That is when the full scale and details of this collaboration are expected to be revealed.
Project Website and Hints
The project is presented on a dedicated website featuring the emblems of the five Toyota-owned brands. The company has promised daily updates leading up to the presentation day. Furthermore, the website’s URL hints at a connection with the upcoming Japan Mobility Show 2025, which opens on October 30.
Intervention by the Chairman
Just three days after the campaign started, Chairman Akio Toyoda actively intervened via Instagram. In his post, he expressed mild reproach and dissatisfaction that the Century emblem was placed at the far left of the lineup.
As of September 19, this new website is live! A new message will appear here every day, so I hope you will visit and enjoy it. But I want to say one thing to our team working on this: the way the emblems are lined up… Century should not be there!
Following his comments, the website was quickly updated: the Century emblem was moved to the center of the composition, or to the top when viewed from a smartphone. Akio Toyoda reacted with another post:
Thank you for fixing the emblem placement so quickly! Now it’s perfect. I’m glad to know that the Toyota team is indeed following my Instagram. After all, Century should be right in the center.
The Significance of Century and Speculations
This story, while appearing as a playful way to attract public attention, simultaneously underscores the importance of the Century sub-brand in Toyota’s luxury car portfolio and its likely key role in this still mysterious project.
As reported by Japanese media, a common feature for Toyota, Lexus, Century, Gazoo Racing, and Daihatsu is the use of the TNGA platform. Given this, there is speculation that the announcement might concern this very modular architecture, especially since Toyoda specifically emphasized its initials in his post.
Daily Updates on the Website
Currently, the only confirmed information consists of the cryptic daily messages appearing on the teaser website:
The team’s quick response to the public remark from the leader demonstrates not only Akio Toyoda’s influence but also the special status of the Century brand within the company. Such attention to detail might indicate that the future project will have not just technical but also significant symbolic meaning, possibly marking a new stage in the development of the TNGA modular architecture and the interaction between the various brands of the concern. Public anticipation continues to grow as the daily hints only add to the mystery.
