“Expectations are maxed out early on! Why is there so much interest in the new Prius even before its official unveiling? Why are social networking sites abuzz with excitement?
The current 4th generation “”Prius”” was controversial due to its flashy design!
The Toyota Prius, now in its 25th year since its first-generation debut in December 1997, has been the driving force behind the popularization of hybrid cars that boast excellent fuel economy.
The current model is the fourth generation, launched in December 2015, and already seven years after its debut, rumors of a full model change have been heard.
Although the truth is not yet known, there have been reports of sightings of a test vehicle believed to be the new Prius on social networking sites, and the excitement seems to be building even before the official announcement.
(Image) “”Too novel style! A look at the fourth-generation Toyota Prius with a “”flashy face”” that has a strong futuristic feel (17 photos).
The fourth-generation (current) Prius (body color: “”Thermotect Yellow””) at the time of its full model change in December 2015, which also drew attention for its strong “”flashy face.
The fourth-generation Prius made a spectacular debut as the first car developed based on TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture), which represents Toyota’s structural reform of car manufacturing.
The newly developed “”TNGA-C platform,”” featuring a low center of gravity packaging, was adopted for the first time to improve handling performance by enhancing body rigidity and lowering the center of gravity.
In addition, the Toyota Safety Sense, an advanced driving support function, and other features are newly adopted.
Of course, as the original hybrid car, fuel efficiency, the most important consideration, has not been overlooked, and the combustion efficiency of the engine has been greatly improved, while the motor, power control unit, and battery have also been made more efficient, compact, and lightweight.
The fourth-generation Prius was such an innovative car, but what surprised me the most was its design.
At the time, Toyota said, “”We aimed for a unique design that is instantly recognizable as a Prius,”” and while inheriting the triangle silhouette common to previous generations of Prius, the car’s strong styling and detailing attracted much attention.
The headlight units and rear combination lamps were quite distinctive, and the design was a matter of taste.
The new “”Thermotect Yellow”” coloring, which has a gorgeous fluorescent image, has a synergistic effect, further reinforcing this impression.
The fourth-generation Prius was born with great pomp and circumstance as a symbol of change, but many people were puzzled by its “”too flashy design”” and the image change from the Prius up to the third-generation model was too great.
Looking back, the simple and clean design of the 3rd generation Prius overlapped with the image of an “”eco-car”” and gave a sense of originality and progress, but the 4th generation may have been too big a swing.
Also, by the time the fourth generation was launched, other Toyota models were being added to the hybrid lineup one after another, which was a negative factor for the original hybrid car, the Prius.
As a result, the Prius was unable to surpass the sales volume of the third-generation Prius, which went down in history as a blockbuster.
The overly flashy styling has since been replaced by a minor change in December 2018 with detail design changes to the front and rear lamps, giving it a cleaner look.
High expectations for the new Prius? Why is there so much interest in the new Prius even before its official unveiling? Why are social networking sites so excited?
New Styling! What will happen to the next “”Prius””?
As mentioned above, the current 4th generation Prius is already in its 7th year since its debut.
The first through third generations underwent model changes in a six-year cycle, and rumors of a full model change for the Prius have become frequent.
The roofline, with its arched arc, symbolizes the “”Prius-ness”” inherited from successive generations of the Prius [photo: second-generation Prius, introduced in 2003].
Among these, a scooped image spotted in Japan has been generating a lot of excitement on social networking sites.
While the authenticity of these images is not known at all, photos of a test vehicle that has been disguised as a Prius have been widely shared on social networking sites, with people asking, “”Is this the next Prius?
This is another indication of the high level of interest in the next Prius.
The test vehicle has a sporty form with a rather sharp front shape. The overall length is long, and the height appears to be quite low.
It is hard to believe that this is a Prius at first glance, but it is also clear that the car has inherited the same identity as previous Prius models, with the apex of the roof arching over the center of the body.
According to the images that have been spreading, the body of the car is fully covered with camouflage wrapping, making it difficult to discern the undulations of the fenders and other details such as the size and shape of the light units.
Nevertheless, the silhouette of the car is enough to foreshadow a change to clean and simple styling.
On social networking sites, comments such as “”I have a feeling it’s going to be cool,”” “”A sports car? It looks like a Prius, even though it is completely different from the 4th generation.
The new Prius has also played a symbolic role in the transformation of the company.
The fourth-generation Prius at the time of its debut was highly impressive with its strong, flashy styling, partly because of its role as a symbol of change.
Although no official announcement has been made by Toyota, we can hardly wait for the fifth generation of the next Prius to arrive on the scene to see if it will meet the growing expectations of users.
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