From top-tier chauffeurs to luxury grand tourers.
When you hear the word ‘luxury car’, what would you think about it? A luxurious saloon with big engines and a spacious cabin? Or a sleek, flat-shaped supercar that can go 0-60 in under 3 seconds? All of those are correct, and moreover, Japan’s got all of those. So let’s look at the top 4 expensive luxury cars from Japanese carmakers.
Toyota Century
Perhaps Japan’s best chauffeur car would be the Toyota Century. It has a long history that started in 1967, making the current model the third generation. The car was developed to aim for a world-class luxury saloon and has been used as an official car for governments and dignitaries.
The car is also known for its long model life cycle. The first-generation Century was introduced in 1967 and lasted for 30 years until Toyota launched the second-generation model in 1997.
One of the features the saloon has is its overwhelmingly high level of craftsmanship, which is commensurate with its price. Toyota is known for its efficient way of manufacturing cars, but for the Century, the company has its exclusive workshop used just for the car. At the workshop, experienced craftsmen handle the exterior and interior one by one.
In addition to its serene design, the second-generation model had a powerful 5.0-liter V12 engine under its hood. In 2018, Toyota introduced the third-generation model that comes with a 5.0-liter V8 engine mated with Toyota’s hybrid system. Its price starts from $178,000 (¥19.6 million), making it the most expensive model of the whole generation. It might be surprising expensive as a car, but as a luxury saloon and when considering the buyer base, its price should be not that expensive.
A 5% deposit is required by Toyota when making a purchase, which shows how special Toyota considers the Century to be.
Lexus LS
Lexus, Toyota’s luxury vehicle division, has its LS on top of the lineup. The LS was first introduced in 1989 and counts its fifth generation. Originally aimed for the North American luxury market, the car was also known as the Toyota Celsior in Japan until the third generation.
The first generation LS was highly popular in the North American market thanks to its great quality and became the model that laid the basis for the Lexus brand. With its next-level quietness and comfort brought by the suspension, the car continues to receive a high reputation among buyers.
Lexus fully updated the LS in 2017 by using a new GA-L platform that was already used by the LC. The exterior design has also been completely updated from the previous generation.
Prices start from $76,000, which is slightly inexpensive when compared to the aforementioned Century. Hybrid model is also available starting from $90,500.
