sanding by hand, then hand polishing to a mirror finish. The Century has seven layers of paint used to complete the mirror like appearance. Vehicles primarily intended for livery service usually have leather interiors in gray, for easier interior cleaning and durability. White lace curtains are usually installed in the rear window, instead of tinted windows, which are perceived to attract unwarranted attention. Such passengers usually like to be seen in a Century, despite Asian tendencies for modesty. The Century was priced at – approximately . In comparison, the base price for the full-size luxury 2008 Lexus LS 460 is approximately (), with the LS 600h L at (). In 2006, the G-BOOK vehicle telematics subscription service was added to the list of standard features. The second generation Century was discontinued on 4 February 2017, after almost 20 years of production. 9,573 vehicles were built from 1996 (the launch year was 1997) to the final figure of 100 cars in 2016. Century Royal (G51; 2006) The Toyota Century Royal is the official state car currently used by the Emperor of Japan, being a specially prepared Century, a one-off () custom car. The car was produced at the request of the Japanese Imperial Household Agency, to be used by senior members of the Imperial House of Japan. This special version has wool cloth upholstery, internal granite entry steps and Japanese washi rice paper headlining for the passenger compartment, as well as undisclosed security measures. The front passenger compartment is upholstered in leather. With the introduction of the third generation Century in 2018, the tail lights on the Century Royal are vertical, while the civilian Century maintains horizontal tail lights across the back of the vehicle. Five vehicles were originally ordered, but due to the individual cost for each only four were built. According to the translation of the corresponding article on Japanese Wikipedia, one car called is used by the Imperial Palace. Another was built as a hearse in 2008, known as Imperial 2, and was used for the funeral of Prince Mikasa 27 October 2016. Imperial 3 and Imperial 5, due to additional security equipment installed, cost () each, are assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The designation "Imperial 4" is not used because the number 4 is considered unlucky. Each vehicle that is used for official transport is given a small round badge attached to the grille at