All future Toyota hybrids to share a similar "I'm a hybrid!" design
When you see a Toyota Prius, you instantly recognize the fact that the car is a hybrid right? Sure, because they all are. What about the Camry Hybrid? Unless you know just where to look for the unique badging, you wouldn't know a hybrid model from the standard model. Toyota would like to change that by making all of their hybrids share a unique design theme.
According to Toyota's chief designer, Wahei Hirai, "People like to buy it because they like to advertise 'I am interested in the environment.' So currently the Camry doesn't appeal very much. They prefer Prius because, while they are driving in town, people can understand that the driver has more social awareness."
The design theme that Toyota plans to use is known internally as "free-form geometrics", which "gives some feeling of ceramics," according to Hirai. If that makes as little sense to you as it does me, start thinking of concepts like the iQ subcompact and the FT-HS sports car and you'll have an idea of what is on their styling minds.
Gallery: Frankfurt 2007: Toyota iQ concept
Gallery: Toyota FT-HS-large
[Source: Automotive News (sub. required)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Snowdog 11:26AM (10/15/2007)
This "look like a Hybrid" stuff, might apply to celebrities/politicians, but for me, I don't give two figs.
I would be quite happy with an undercover hybrid. I think the biggest reason some hybrids didn't sell was because they didn't have good gas mileage. Think about the Accord Hybrid vs Camry Hybrid. The Accord was a sales disaster, the Camry a big success. The Accord was a V6 "performance" hybrid, that got fairly standard V6 Fuel econ. The Camry is economy related. Results are what counts.
Personally I have only considered one hybrid. The Insight. Because it got phenomenal gas mileage (best of any road car) and was available with manual transmission. Certainly not because of its looks which were hideous.
Repost (second attempt after ABG did it's standard silent fail)
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why not the LS2/LS7? 11:48AM (10/15/2007)
Or maybe they don't like the Camry because it doesn't get good mpg and because the trunk is full of batteries.
The Prius gets better mpg and due to having been designed as a hybrid from day 1, the batteries are somewhat tucked away, leaving a lot of trunk (partially due to the fact that it is a hatchback). At the very least, there is no non-hybrid to compare the trunk size and be disappointed.
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Kardax 12:37PM (10/15/2007)
I think all the automakers, even Toyota, are focusing too much on the "hybrid" badge and not enough on why the Prius is so successful.
The Prius gets outstanding miles-per-gallon while still remaining an absolutely practical vehicle. All the other hybrids I've heard of either get disappointing mileage, or lose cargo/passenger capacity.
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Karkus 1:09PM (10/15/2007)
Yep, I agree with #3. You can debate whether distinct hybrid models help or hurt sales, but the bottom line is that we bought a Prius mainly because it's practical for our outdoorsy lifestyle and also gets high MPG. I had looked at the the Insight, Civic, and old Prius and thought they were really neat technology, but I wasn't interested in them because they weren't practical. Then the 2004 Prius came along and we bought one right away (my main concern was checking whether you could fit 2 bikes in the back -yes, and the first one goes in without even taking a wheel off). If it wasn't for the practicality of the hatchback design, we would still be driving some regular car (hatchback or station wagon).
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Randy 2:00PM (10/15/2007)
My wife has a Camry Hybrid and I have a Prius. We love both cars but they are definitely not the same car. We use the Prius mostly around town and for short trips and love the economy and the lowered impact on the environment. I average about 44--47 mpg in town depending on the time of year and on the highway I get 50 mpg at 70 mph. It is a surprisingly comfortable car and has great utility as it can hold a lot especially with the seats down. My bicycle fits into the back without removing either wheel which is nice. Our trips to the yard waste store are as easy with the Prius as they were with the minivan we recently got rid of. My Prius has the bells and whistles and I love them. The GPS is very solid, for example. I like to drive a nice car and this one has not disappointed me.
The Camry is something else, though. With the exception of the lost trunk space noted earlier, the Hybrid Camry is an amazing car. It is very comfortable, rides well, and has every feature we could want (we have all the options). Although it does not get the same in-town mileage as the Prius (we get only 35 mpg around town), it is a nice road car. At 72 mph, we average 40 mpg on the highway. It is an extremely well-executed car for the price. Although designed as a fuel-economy focused hybrid, it has plenty of pep and power. It is our car of choice for longer road trips.
As a point of reference, we paid less for my fully optioned Prius than for my prior car (fully optioned Passat) and less for the Camry than for my wife's prior car (fully optioned Caravan minivan).
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mike 7:48PM (10/15/2007)
On the Camry, Toyota seems to have pushed it into the "performance-hybrid" catagory. And that's the problem with it. If I want a hybrid I want it tuned for MPG. Toyota continued the IRRATIONAL PUSH for faster 0-60 times with a Hybrid. Again, I don't EVER here anyone saying I wish I had an extra 50 hp. But, I hear All the Time people complaining about their gas mileage, esp. in new purchases.
Toyota could offer a Efficiency Hybrid engine and a Performance Hybrid engine and see where sales go. My bet is on Efficiency. But, Toyota still continues to push Luxury Cars as Requiring Monster HP.
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zamafir 3:38AM (10/16/2007)
Odd, the reason a Hybrid Camry is in my garage is preciecely because it doesn't scream hybrid. And it's the firrst toyota I've bought in 20 years.
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