If you are considering bringing a Toyota Century SUV GRMN into India, you are not looking at a routine car import. This is one of the most demanding Completely Built Unit (CBU) clearances in the country today, and getting even one step wrong can mean your vehicle sits at Nhava Sheva indefinitely, accumulating cost with every passing day.
We have put together this guide based on our experience handling high value CBU imports, so you know exactly what to expect and where things typically go wrong.
Why This Car Is Different
The Century nameplate has long been Japan's answer to the Rolls Royce Phantom, historically reserved for Japanese royalty, prime ministers and the country's top corporate leadership. The SUV version carries that same heritage into a modern flagship body meant to rival the Rolls Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga.
A few things make it especially desirable, and especially tricky, for Indian buyers:
It is native Right Hand Drive. Unlike American ultra luxury imports such as the Cadillac Escalade or GMC Yukon, which are built Left Hand Drive and require aftermarket conversion, the Century SUV is factory built for RHD markets. That means it is road legal ready for India without mechanical modification, which is a genuine advantage.
It is extremely limited in production. Toyota builds a deliberately small number of Century SUVs per month worldwide, and buyers are vetted rather than simply placing an order.
The cabin is engineered around being driven, not driving. Fully reclining rear massage seats, an acoustic glass partition separating the cabin from the luggage area, and power sliding rear doors all point to a chauffeur first design.
The GRMN variant takes this further with a lowered stance, exposed carbon fiber aerodynamic elements, 22 inch forged black wheels and electric sliding rear doors. Its base global price sits around 220,000 USD, or approximately ₹1.85 crore, well above the standard Century SUV's starting point of roughly 25 million JPY in Japan.
The Shipping Decision That Cannot Be Undone
Nhava Sheva is India's principal container port for high value vehicle imports arriving from Japan by ocean freight, and the first decision you make here sets the tone for everything that follows.
A car in this price bracket should move exclusively via an enclosed FCL container, never RoRo. RoRo shipping exposes the exposed carbon fiber aero components to sea salt air and transit handling that an enclosed container avoids entirely. Once that damage happens, there is no undoing it.
Getting the Invoice Right the First Time
Customs appraisers at Nhava Sheva scrutinize limited run flagship vehicles line by line. The manufacturer's invoice must clearly itemize the factory line items that justify the GRMN's premium over the base Century SUV. An invoice that looks under declared against standard global pricing gets the vehicle stalled and revalued upward, and that kind of delay costs far more than getting the paperwork right the first time would have.
The Registration Trap Almost No One Sees Coming
The Japanese exporter must provide documentation confirming zero previous owners and zero prior registration, with the vehicle moving directly from Toyota's factory allocation network onto the ship. If the car is registered in Japan first, even briefly, even to work around allocation constraints, it lands at Nhava Sheva classified as a used vehicle. That triggers a punishing 100 percent Basic Customs Duty instead of the applicable new CBU rate, effectively doubling your duty exposure overnight.
What It Actually Costs at the Port
Based on an assessable value of approximately ₹1.85 crore, here is a realistic breakdown of the landed cost at Nhava Sheva:
| Component | Cost (INR) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Value (FOB Japan) | approx ₹1,85,00,000 |
| Freight, Enclosed Container and Marine Insurance | approx ₹5,00,000 |
| Assessable Value (CIF at Nhava Sheva) | approx ₹1,90,00,000 |
| Basic Customs Duty (BCD) | approx ₹1,33,00,000 |
| Social Welfare Surcharge | approx ₹13,30,000 |
| IGST plus GST Compensation Cess | approx ₹1,69,41,000 |
| Total Duties and Import Taxes | approx ₹3,15,71,000 |
| Landed Cost at Nhava Sheva Port | approx ₹5,05,71,000 |
For CBU vehicles with a CIF value above 40,000 USD, the applicable duty structure currently combines Basic Customs Duty with the Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess. These rates are revised periodically in Union Budget announcements, so it is worth confirming the exact notified rates before finalizing your valuation.
It Cannot Simply Be Driven Off the Ship
Since Toyota does not officially sell or support the Century brand in India, the vehicle cannot be registered on the strength of an existing type approval. Instead, the car is mounted onto a flatbed truck at the port. It cannot be driven off Nhava Sheva under its own power before registration.
From there, it is transported directly to an authorized individual vehicle testing facility, typically ARAI in Pune, for compliance testing. ARAI tests the 3.5 litre V6 Plug In Hybrid powertrain against India's emission and safety parameters before issuing an individual type approval certificate. Without that certificate, there is no registration, no matter how cleanly the vehicle cleared Customs.
Registration and Road Tax in Maharashtra
Once ARAI issues the type approval certificate, registration proceeds through a Maharashtra RTO, typically under a Mumbai code such as MH01, MH02 or MH03.
Maharashtra levies a 20 percent road tax on imported CBUs, which on this vehicle adds approximately ₹1.01 crore just for registration and license plates.
Put together, the total on road investment in Mumbai runs to roughly ₹6.1 to ₹6.3 crore, against a global factory price of about ₹1.85 crore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Toyota Century SUV be imported into India?
Yes, as a Completely Built Unit, through ports such as Nhava Sheva, but only through formal customs clearance, ARAI homologation and RTO registration. It is not officially sold or supported by Toyota in India.
Why is RoRo shipping not recommended for this vehicle?
RoRo exposes the vehicle's exterior, particularly the GRMN's exposed carbon fiber components, to sea salt air and transit handling risk. An enclosed FCL container avoids this entirely.
What happens if the car is registered in Japan before export?
It gets classified as a used vehicle on arrival in India, attracting a 100 percent Basic Customs Duty instead of the applicable new CBU rate, a significant and avoidable cost increase.
Why can't the car be driven immediately after Customs clearance?
It requires an individual ARAI type approval certificate before registration, since Toyota does not hold a blanket homologation for the Century in India. Until ARAI issues that certificate, the vehicle cannot legally be registered or driven.
What is the realistic total cost to own one in Mumbai?
Combining the landed cost at Nhava Sheva with Maharashtra's 20 percent CBU road tax, the total on road cost typically runs between ₹6.1 crore and ₹6.3 crore for the GRMN variant.
Why This Is Worth Getting Right the First Time
A shipment at this value does not get a second attempt. A misdeclared invoice, an incorrectly timed Japanese registration, or a missed ARAI compliance step does not just cost time. It can cost lakhs in reassessed duty, or months of a flagship vehicle sitting idle at port.
For over 27 years, Multimodal Logistic Systems Pvt. Ltd. has been structuring high value CBU import files, defending customs valuations and coordinating the ARAI and RTO steps that follow, for importers and exporters across India.
If you are importing an ultra luxury or limited run CBU like the Century SUV GRMN, talk to Multimodal before your exporter books the container, not after Customs raises a valuation query.
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Multimodal Logistic Systems Pvt. Ltd. | Pune, Maharashtra, India