The Toyota Brevis is a mid-sized luxury sedan introduced in May 2001 and sold only in Japan. The Brevis has some styling cues from the Lexus LS 430. Sales started in June, 2001. The Brevis was discontinued in 2007. The Brevis was exclusive to Toyota Japan dealerships Toyota Store, while its twin the Toyota Progrès was exclusive to Toyopet Store locations. The marketing approach used for the Brevis was shared with a Toyota Vista Store sedan, called the Toyota Verossa, which used a different platform. The Brevis represented the market segment previously served in Japan by the Toyota Carina ED. The width and engine displacement exceed Japanese Government regulations concerning exterior dimensions and engine displacement, and therefore it classified in the larger "passenger car" tax bracket.

The word "brevis" is Latin for "brief, a short amount of time or duration", which seems appropriate as the car was only produced for seven years before being cancelled, with no replacement.

The Toyota Brevis is based on the Progres, which was launched half a year before the Altezza/Lexus IS with a similar platform. Unlike Progres, the new Brevis aims at younger customers, with Toyota saying it is intended to compete directly with imports like the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-Class. The chassis and powertrain is similar to the Progres, with altered exterior styling and a differently trimmed interior. The headlamps consists of three round type beams. The feeling of luxury and elegant space is reflected by using the green lighting for the speedometer and the clock. The stylish center console houses a LCD monitor and an alloy-effect sound system which consists of an on-dash CD changer, DVD and MD playback, with 7 speakers on the top model.

The Brevis is based on the same rear-drive platform as the Lexus IS, using a double wishbone suspension at all four wheels, with the wheelbase extended to 2,780 mm (109.4 in). In terms of size and weight, it stands between the BMW 3-series and 5-series, so cabin space is plentifull. However, dynamically speaking it can hardly match the European rivals (in Toyota's brand images, that role is left for Lexus to fulfill), even though it rides on double-wishbone suspension. Suspension is set softer than the Lexus, steering is less direct, and its 1,550 kg (3,417 lb) kerb weight also hurt handling agility.

There are two choices of power plant: 2.5-litre or 3.0-litre straight-six both front mounted, producing 149 kW (200 hp) and 164 kW (220 hp) respectively. Both are equipped with VVT-i and D-4 direct injection. It comes with 5-speed automatic (2WD car) or 4-speed automatic (4WD car) gearbox options, in which the 4WD option is only available for the 2.5 litre model.

Other options include power adjustable pedal, in which pedal positions can be adjusted to suit the drivers' driving posture and the position of the pedals, steering wheel and driver’s seat are memorized. There is also an electric rear sunshade and a radar guided cruise control system to ensure a safe following distance to the car ahead in correspondence to the traveling speed. All these are standard equipment. Also included are the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, ABS, and high intensity discharge (HID) head lamps.
The Previs was changed in April 2004 as the prestigious mesh grille design was adopted for the front grille. The models after December 2005 come with EMV (with color backing guide monitor & window shade corner monitor) and also a DVD voice navigation system for G-BOOK and NAVI.AI-SHIFT (not applicable for 4WD models.)