Toyota Brass Kicked Back Next Gen Prius As Too Boring - Is This That Much Better?

When the next-generation Prius hybrid came up for final approval at a session of top brass, Toyota Motor Corp.'s global r&d boss delivered bad news to the car's chief engineer: The design doesn't cut it. Try again.

The fateful review, according to a source, happened last year, prompting a whirlwind of tweaks by Prius Chief Engineer Koji Toyoshima. Only when the restyled car resurfaced for a yay-or-nay at an April meeting did it finally get the green light.

Mitsuhisa Kato, the executive vice president who nixed the early design, said other issues played the pivotal role in a decision earlier this year to delay the launch of what is arguably Toyota's most iconic nameplate.

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chewy - 12/15/2014 10:20:38 AM

+2 Boost

I am thinking the final product will be a bit more dictated by aerodynamics.

Agent009 - 12/15/2014 10:39:36 AM

+1 Boost

possibly , but the first step is admitting you have a problem. A bit shocked they are attempting to address the elephant in the room.

chewy - 12/15/2014 10:56:02 AM

+1 Boost

I think the third gen Prius wasn't too bad design wise given its age and task. Honda did much worse on its copy. Toyota is sorta stuck as they can't desert the "hybird" shape that has worked so well for them. And the updates on the Prius V are trying way too hard and not the right direction.

Sciros - 12/15/2014 1:27:49 PM

+2 Boost

If it's like any of other Toyotas that DID make it out into the wild, it'll have a front end like it's feeding air into a 7 liter V-10, and the rest will look like an 8 year old drew his dad's old car from memory.

Gambit - 12/15/2014 2:40:10 PM

+1 Boost

I thought the Prius was supposed to be boring

MrEE - 12/16/2014 8:57:15 PM

+1 Boost

I liked the last two gen designs, certainly in the top five of small cars designs. Hopefully they don't end up doing an i3 or Leaf.