The designer of the 2016 Prius speaks out on his decision of the final design

But it's ugly with the front roof line being as high as it is, for me its hard to look past it.

 

Has anyone seen pictures of the original G4 design? I followed this thread hoping that someone would post a picture. I've suspicioned for the past while that Diane (California) had seen a picture of the original design when she said it "will knock your socks off."

 

This is what I was hoping for: Rumored: Gen. IV Prius Will Have Electric 4WD - EVWORLD.COM

 

I meant the shape actually, although 4WD would be handy in winter.

 

Thanks kitmo .... After seeing your link, I now recall having seen that before. That is what I was hoping for .... it truly would have "knocked my socks off." Had the G4 looked like that, there would have been a long waiting line, and I would have been one anxiously awaiting a copy.

Had Toyota produced a new generation Prius that looked like the above with all of the current technology .... they would not have been able to built enough to match the demand. That is my opinion ..... what is yours?

 

Received a news LP relay today from Google. Don't recall the origin, green EV or something like that, which quoted from a Toyota engineer saying the next generation Prius will only be phev.

 

maybe, maybe not. toyota still has their finger in the air, trying to figure out which way the swirling wind is blowing.

 

agreed. that design would have brought in a lot of non hybrid buyers. but i'm sure toyo and their apologists will have a million reasons why it couldn't be done.

 

bisco - I agree
..... too many rumors and not enough facts, but as I recall ..... the rumor was way back, was that management nixed the design .... wanting a more youthful look. If there is any truth to the rumor, it sounds like the decision was based on aesthetics, and less on production issues. Clearly, I am guessing.

 

a real head scratcher.

 

I think that a car's interior is more important than the interior when you buy the car. You sit behind the wheel and take in the experience of all the controls and comfort, and that's the real experience of the car, not its exterior styling.

I think Toyota did a bad job with this Prius. I think they fail to understand their customer base and why their customers buy the car. I saw an ad for the new Prius which positions it as a fast performance car. That's just stupid; Toyota has performance cars which kick the snot out of a Prius. Most cars out-perform a Prius.

But for reliability, mileage and environmental friendliness, it cannot be beat. I think Toyota is trying to sell it as what it is not and ignoring what it is.

 

it was a total of 3 priuschat posters who incessantly complained about handling that caught priusteams eye.
meanwhile, scan the 'what changes would you make for the gen 4' thread, and see how many good ideas they ignored.

 

I agree with Felt completely.

Back in 2003 and 2009 just before Gen2 and Gen3 came out, you could say it was advantageous for the Prius to look distinctive/different than the rest - that was the state of the green car market at the time. Fast-forward to 2016, IMO it adds zero value simply being different/streamlined/striking whichever way Toyota describes it. I still enjoy my Gen3 - it is a great piece of kit. I was eagerly waiting for an NS4 derived Gen4 for the past few years but sadly that wasn't to be. Latest sales numbers seem to suggest that there were many of us who did not find Gen4 appealing. Not sure how else to describe it really, I feel let down.

 

i don't think it's 'a lot of us' that's the problem. i think the problem is, the new design is not attracting main stream buyers, which was toyota's stated hope, and what the ns4 concept would have done.

otoh, i have to wonder how many prius toyota really wants to sell. maybe just enough to satisfy cafe against their more profitable trucks and suv's?

 

4th generation brings about change. The formula of the past simply won't be as effective. A modified approach was required.

The styling of gen-4 Prius was inevitable. People are burnt out on "normal" looking cars at this point. Evidence of that is the LED accent lighting popping up everywhere. That's an easy design modification will obvious results. People are draw to the standout, unique nature of what they provide. There isn't much functional benefit, but that doesn't matter.

It's like the raised floor in the back of Prime for the larger battery-pack. There's a counter-intuitive nature of pride it addresses. People want to feel like they are contributing to a better future. The reduced storage space is an on-going reminder of their contribution. That isn't logical. Emotional appeal is what the automotive industry thrives on though. We may find that Toyota retains that approach, taking advantage of it later to offer more EV capacity rather than making the battery smaller.

Also, how do you make it clear to the market that the new Prius isn't just another upgrade. That upgraded suspension will make it self known during the test-drives. So, the focus must be on getting customers to take notice enough to give it a try. Why shouldn't a green car be a little bit sporty? Shaking the stereotype of "eco-box" isn't easy. Look no further than Corolla & Camry. How does Toyota sell so many of those?

 

I waited for a body change before I'd buy a Prius. The first three generations are outdated and just plain homely. I really like the gen 4 and am very happy with it.

Now, if you want to see something truly ugly, check out the Tesla Model S two door. (I think it's the model S). I saw one on the road today and it's awful. I think Tesla's are cool but most of their designs need updating.

 

john1701a - Your post is truly a remarkable example of "spin" ..... you must be a politician.

 

Sorry for the duplicate

 

To be entirely fair, the entirety of the automotive media has been complaining about Prius driving dynamics since... I think even when Western reviewers drove Gen 0s leading up to the Gen 1 launch in Western markets, so 1999 or so? And, frankly, having driven a couple Gen 3s... it was completely justified.

For that matter, automotive media has been slamming Toyota's driving dynamics as a marque for quite a while, and Akio Toyoda himself felt that that had to be fixed. The Gen 4 Prius is partially a product of the marque-wide emphasis on that.

I can tell you that... had Toyota not improved the driving dynamics (it's not just sheer roadholding, it's also steering feel and a few other things), I wouldn't have even gone into a Toyota dealer to test drive a Gen 4, much less bought one.