Photo: Toyota
As some of you enthusiasts know, the fourth generation Toyota Prius had to be unveiled in early 2015, but the engineers said it needs further “polishing” so the big event got delayed for the last part of the year, probably December.
One of the biggest reasons the engineers have so much to work on the next generation Prius is the fact that it will be the first car in the lineup to be built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which is a modular structure designed to be shared by most of the upcoming models to lower costs and increase quality.
But that’s just part of the story. Toyota is on it’s way to prove hybrids and fuel cell vehicles are better than plug-in EVs, so they also have to work on batteries and further engine tuning to maximize fuel efficiency. As we got accustomed over the generations, the next Prius should offer at least 10 percent better fuel consumption.
But even with these being taken care of, there was still one thing left - design. Which, according to a recent report, is indeed one of the reasons the next Prius got delayed earlier.
"The design redo was instructed by myself, and the president said the same thing," Mitsuhisa Kato told Automotive News. "We substantially refined the design, and we have finally reached a level where we can offer it next year."
Let’s be honest here - the current Prius isn’t a masterpiece when referring to its design. Mostly because its shapes also had to be functional, hence you get the aerodynamical wedged shape and small, narrow wheels for less rolling resistance.
This, however, will change with the next generation simply because Toyota wants to turn even its boring-to-drive hybrid into something more attractive to younger buyers. And part of that is the way the car looks.
Whatever happens, by the look of how much Toyota is struggling not to screw it up, we think the next generation Prius will be a hit again. The design should be something futuristic-looking, the new platform should give it better handling, while the upgraded hybrid powertrain should make it the most efficient car in its class.
It should resemble the FT-Bh concept you see here in the pictures below. Or at least we hope so...
But that’s just part of the story. Toyota is on it’s way to prove hybrids and fuel cell vehicles are better than plug-in EVs, so they also have to work on batteries and further engine tuning to maximize fuel efficiency. As we got accustomed over the generations, the next Prius should offer at least 10 percent better fuel consumption.
But even with these being taken care of, there was still one thing left - design. Which, according to a recent report, is indeed one of the reasons the next Prius got delayed earlier.
No looks, no production
Yep, when the fourth-gen Prius came up for final approve, Toyota’s global R&D chief brought the bad news - it’s ugly, try again."The design redo was instructed by myself, and the president said the same thing," Mitsuhisa Kato told Automotive News. "We substantially refined the design, and we have finally reached a level where we can offer it next year."
Let’s be honest here - the current Prius isn’t a masterpiece when referring to its design. Mostly because its shapes also had to be functional, hence you get the aerodynamical wedged shape and small, narrow wheels for less rolling resistance.
This, however, will change with the next generation simply because Toyota wants to turn even its boring-to-drive hybrid into something more attractive to younger buyers. And part of that is the way the car looks.
Whatever happens, by the look of how much Toyota is struggling not to screw it up, we think the next generation Prius will be a hit again. The design should be something futuristic-looking, the new platform should give it better handling, while the upgraded hybrid powertrain should make it the most efficient car in its class.
It should resemble the FT-Bh concept you see here in the pictures below. Or at least we hope so...
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