How Did Toyota Go From The NS4 Concept To The Fourth-Gen Prius? Did The Company Make A MISTAKE Or GENIUS Design Call?

In recent years, Toyota has been more than happy to roll out all-new concept vehicles. But these concepts have not been just regular autos. They've been concepts.

Some were good looking examples, others not so much.

What they all had in common was that they're all hybrids. While we know the company has made a pretty strong point that its product portfolio will be largely hybrid in short order, we were expecting the fourth-gen Prius to carry on the third-gen car's rather handsome looks. We were wrong.

As the two pictures that came out over the weekend show, the all-new upcoming Prius is a very...erm...forward-thinking design. One thing it most certainly isn't: handsome.

Having recalled the NS4 Concept that was, frankly, very tidy from a design perspective, I just have to ask: Did Toyota make a MISTAKE with the fourth-gen Prius' design? Or, is it a GENIUS move? The vehicle will be instantly recognizable, which most people agree is the point of having a Prius in the first place.







2012 Detroit Auto Show Photo Gallery

cidflekken - 8/31/2015 1:35:03 AM

+1 Boost

Maybe they plan on making the NS4 concept into a Lexus hybrid.

Boomslui - 8/31/2015 5:47:19 AM

+2 Boost

Maybe Prius has no longer a function to halo frontier tech. The same tech is now available in standard portfolio cars of Toyota.

dumpsty - 8/31/2015 10:49:14 AM

+1 Boost

I'm guessing the Prius is still selling at a descent pace for the company metrics. Toyota wouldn't just completely change the exterior for no reason though. If - all of a sudden - sales dropped dramatically, I'd see Toyota pulling a NS4-type of revision only if they "really" need to.

Toyota is still a company that hates to do dramatic changes on their highly coveted tech such as the Prius - for fear that their core consumers would be instantly turned-off by a fresh design. Btw, I don't know what their rationale behind the Camry has been - desperation maybe. But since Toyota-Lexus exterior designs are becoming increasingly similar, they should really be careful.

Sparty - 8/31/2015 1:13:40 PM

+1 Boost

How can their boardroom look at this then decide to go with what was strapped down to the floor in that room? Clearly this the NS4 was the way to encourage people to drive their cars instead of that homely Prius design.

This would be like the Hyundai boardroom to see the current models then make the decision to stay the course with that ugly crap from the early 2000's.