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Toyota's Impressive Design Turnaround Has an Explanation

Toyota cars used to be associated with two things: reliability and boring designs. Buying a Toyota meant you knew you were getting a car that wouldn't let you down while providing exactly zero frills for the entire duration of your ownership.
Toyota FT-1 Graphite Concept 1 photo
Photo: Toyota
There were the occasional exceptions like the legendary Supra or the FJ Cruiser off-roader, but the bread and butter models - the Camrys and the Corollas - were generic-looking, to say the least. Buying one said more about your wardrobe and your lifestyle than your entire Facebook profile.

Then came the new Prius and the Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan. Now, we have the C-HR crossover and the new Camry, which looks as though it could beat the previous model with a hand tied behind its back. There's something happening at Toyota, and we hope it'll continue.

Apparently, we're safe. "The era of boring cars, of bland cars and anonymous design is over," said Ian Cartabiano, a 43-year-old American designer working for the Japanese brand talking to Automotive News. The directive came from the highest levels - the company's CEO, Toyoda-san - and it's already being put into practice.

"It's what Akio expects," continues Cartabiano. "When the president says something like that, it really allows designers to feel creative freedom." While it was definitely decisive, the CEO's backing wasn't the only thing that made this revolution possible now. The introduction of the modular platform played an important role as well, allowing cost cuts that would be redirected toward the design process.

However, could all this freedom have a negative impact? When are too many creases and surfaces too much? "I respect something that's new but not perfect, rather than something that's beautiful but nondescript," Cartabiano says. "I'd rather be challenged than made comfortable. Polarizing is OK."

If more people at Toyota share Cartabiano's views, then we're going to see more of this newly found madness in Toyota's vehicles. But the best bit about it is the recent trend of making production cars very similar to the concepts that had previewed them. Bear that in mind when you think about the upcoming release of the new Supra, and try to remember what the FT-1 Concept looked like. Excited yet?
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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