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

Well, that explains it, I have no emotion toward or against lady Gaga, but she must be ugly.
Short, with extreme energy swings.

Short, they lowered the car .8", great for the highway, a deal killer for the byway.

 

..I like Gaga with Tony Bennett on Baby It's Cold Outside

 

"Bosses overruled his earlier design as too soft and organic"

Nothing wrong with "soft and organic".

"But the design work took two tracks. One was a more organic, humanistic feel. The other was more futuristic.

As the blueprints headed into final approval, Kodama proposed the more human look. But Executive Vice President Mitsuhisa Kato, who at the time oversaw design along with r&d, weighed in with a course correction. It was best to err on techy, he said."

Sadly, looks like Kato won. Was the porcelain white trim his brainchild too? I'm starting to dislike this guy.

 

That explains it all. I hope that 680A (original) intended of PiP will maintain original "organic" design. More info on 680A vs 690:
Last-minute Prius styling rebuff shows Toyota's new focus on design

 

You know for me it's NOT that I dislike this incarnation of The Prius, it's just that I don't necessarily think it's as beautiful as Toyota keeps telling me it is.

IMO except for some "flare" the front half doesn't look all that different from a Gen 3.

What I want to see in person, is the rear. I can't tell from pictures. Sometimes it looks OK, sometimes it looks too accordion or "fireplace bellows" look to me. Not sure if I like that crease in the back. I think I have to see this in person.

Interior/Exterior, I certainly don't think the new Prius is ugly. Despite the questionable white "bathroom" fixture trim choice.

In fact from what I've seen, I think the dash and interior is greatly improved. And The Prius needed to do it. For a vehicle that touts itself as a flagship of hybrid technology a dash board that looked IMO way too 1970's Texas Instruments, was in great need of an update and the addition of some color.

Of course, really for me? All this is first impression based on pictures. I can't really conclude until I walk around one in person, and actually sit in the vehicle itself.

 

Besides the bathroom fixture look, the phone charging function seems dubious, bordering on cargo cult. So much space devoted to what folks are rarely going to use for it's design purpose.

 

Agree trunk space at expense of rear leg room? And is it a truck or SUV?

 

What happened to functional, elegant and timeless?

Never mind, there might be some good stylists available from VW in the near future.

 

hey phillip! great find, thank you!

 

In 2020 I'd like to buy a 2018 Prius 3 with Toyota Safety Sense TSS. Hopefully all the bugs and recalls will be fixed by then for the gen 4.

I'm not keen on the look, but so long as it gets great mileage, reliability and safety features, I'll be happy.

 

toy doesn't have many bugs, but the recalls never seem to end.

 

how about Prius C?

 

i am pretty sure most people will put their phone there, regardless of charging... i always take out my phone and put it in front cupholder.







MERGED

I am sure styling of both will be 95% same... small front/rear bumper changes are possible, but not overall design. So it seems people who hate G4 design will get something else or get used to the design.

 

It makes sense when he stands with the question: "Should it be more man or machine?" because Toyota is in a position where it can push toward the extremes in both directions at the same time. This is achieved by having visually different cars use the hybrid drive train.

We should be able to observe the other direction with the next Lexus CT200h which will follow the design language of the latest Lexuses.

 

I dont think thats Lexus he is referring to... I think human touch design is similar to C-HR design, which I personally dont like. Prius is extreme example of course, they did it on purpose so it cant be mistaken. So Prius design like C-HR on extreme would probably be worse to me, far worse.

 

It seems like car designers are very lemming-like right now, everyone pushing towards hard edges, angry visage, aggressive looking cars. I think the Toyota Prius designers got dragged right along, unfortunately.

Besides aesthetics, There's the practicalities of auto body repair, parts costs. Those front fairing sculptures and nutzoid headlights don't come cheap.

 

On Prius C they have a pocket on dash in front of steering wheel. Very useful for parking cellphone


And still have a 2nd glove compartment!