Toyota’s newfound focus on the design of its cars has also reached the slightly awkward-looking Prius.
Apparently, the final design proposal for the vehicle was turned down last year by the company’s top execs, who are clearly acting to uphold the company president’s desire to hold design in high regard.
This caused delays to the vehicle as it was supposed to have been revealed in the course of 2014. However, that was impossible since the final shape was actually just approved in April of this year – production is expected to commence around the end of 2015.
We don’t know what it will look like, but it’s clear the automaker wants it to look less like the hybrids we’re used to by opting to go down the “emotional design” path, like Mazda has with its recent crop of models.
Interestingly, Toyota will have more pronounced differences between the regular hybrid and plug-in variants of the car. We don’t know where these differences will lie, but it’s been suggested that the latter will feature “a more staid look to appeal to a wider audience.”
Oh, and in case you were wondering, no, it won’t emulate the striking design of the Mirai fuel-cell vehicle.
We hope they find some way to infuse the car with the pleasantly aggressive lines of the FT-1 concept, which is a taste of what the brand’s new global design boss, Tokuo Fukuichi, has in store for the future. Maybe they’ll go crazy and turn it into a crossover along the lines of the C-HR concept (pictured)?
Via Automotive News
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