butt nice person ugly

Probably. Something like this:
1) "OMG, our sales are tanking, we need to do something.. Quick!"
2) if you look long enough it start looking good..
3) general lack of approach and commitment/focus to styling. Styling is just an afterthought.

The companies who actually spend time and effort on styling benefit from it on long run. I am not fond of German cars, but you've gotta admit that they make attractive cars. BMWs, MBs and Audies are pretty.

When Hyundai was in dungeons back in 90s they hired VW exec to turn them around. He came on board and convinced them to offer 10y/100,000mi warranty. That helped to turn tide around, but the cars were not selling in huge numbers. Then they hired Audi TT designers, and restyled cars one by one at generation switch.

Mazda hired famous japanese designer, and that alone with SkyActiv and "zoom-zoom" fun to drive affordable car concept helped their sales. I am not fond of their styling, but you've gotta admit they are not ugly ones, and some of them like new Miata and RX concept are very pretty.

GM and Ford in post bailout started cranking out some nice looking cars, and with reliability to revive japanese offering from 90s it helped with sales.

Toyota on other hand decided to play safe and gone with "corporate" styling with all camries, corollas and Siennas look alike. That helped at first, but then the novelty wore out. In a process they got rid of people who could design cars or were at least able to think independently. So while everyone was improving Toyota stayed stagnant, and when they realized they are behind they went into OMG mode.

So what you see was in making for last 15-20 years, and you have a bunch of headless mindless incompetent chickens running around sprinkling cowbells left and right. And they got weight too; I'd bet the original 680A design done by Prius team was maybe not the prettiest car, but at least it was true to Prius concept and much more likely to survive critique.

But if you're asking what went wrong? it is the Toyota's upper mgmt decisions on corporate styling. In a sense what they are going through now is similar to what GM had gone a couple decades ago.

It isn't simply enough now to design reliable car, others can do it too.

 

if toyota's 'corporate styling' made them number one, can you blame them?

 

I think they (Toyota) can turn it around, but in a process we will get some ugly ducklings (like 2015 Prius v (lowercaes v for the Prius v wagon there Cyclo) nose job or Gen4).

What I find really disappointing that the rest of the car is probably very good. Prius team did good job, they just got TNGA and "cowbell" styling shoveled up their colon.

 

sounds more like 'heartbroken, jilted lover' kind of stuff.

 

I saw one in person yesterday and was able to sit in it. In person, it is not nearly as ugly as the photos make it look. Some of the interior plastics are improved. The white plastic is nice and it has a bit of sparkle to it. The seat material is offensively bad. Same with the tan textured stuff on the top of the dash.

 

which seat material, cloth, or pleather?

 

I wonder if they put a different tail light on, without the strange zig zag, if it would look a lot better.

 

If you are not planning on auto-crossing the Prius, then the gen 3 plug in should suit you fine - so far I've averaged 68 miles per gallon over 100k miles (at 72k miles, I placed 17-in rims on the car which dropped mpgs, but it sure does give the Prius a kick in the styling department).



I really tried to like the gen 4 in person... perhaps it'll grow on me still, I just need to see examples rolling on the freeway...

 

Cloth. Though it felt kinda plasticky. Like bits of plastic held together by some textile. Probably some sort of non-petroleum vegetable synthetic material. I'm sure it will wear well, but it wouldn't be fun to sit on in shorts.

 

that would also require changes to side panels and likely mounting points. Looking at pictures of tail lights they actually look attractive from some points, and really ugly from others. The whole double line on 3/4 panel and rear door is ugly, and as a driver you'd be looking at it every time you are getting in the car. They could have ran a straight line from front to back higher, but it looks like that would have messed door handle location, so they compromised. Original design likely had it round similar to Gen3, but that made it look like hatchback. So they fixed it with blackout and fintail. Clearly a hack job if you ask me.

 

All I know is when they changed the Corolla in 2014 they did a much better job..."including" the styling.

 

No, I meant just change the brake lights so that there is no zig zag light pattern, but leave the housing the same shape, and no changes to sheetmetal, if that makes sense.

 

Well JC Whitney make generic tail lights ... round and square.

Bob Wilson

 

i like the new tail lights, one of the best features. especially at night.

 

I think the white and black? wheels are really ugly in the gen 4 photos. And let's face it, the Prius c is one ugly little car. The gen 3 is the best looking of the bunch, but maybe the gen 4 will grow on me after seeing a few thousand on the road.

 

the c is brutal isn't it? can't imagine how they sold any.

 

I guess we all like different things.

I think the C and the V are the best looking so far, Gen 2 next, then Gen 3 then Gen 1.

I'll see what I think of the Gen 4 when I see them on the road.

 

The new v has a face that's not very attractive. JMO

 

I fear the G4 has a chance to make the all time ugliest car list along with the likes of the Aztek, Gremlin, Pacer, ...