Toyota is Toying with the Prius

As the nameplate that has given the world the best-selling and most advanced hybrid car found in the Prius, Toyota has started making bold moves with the overall design of what has become a wedge-shaped, mostly recognizable and somewhat unattractive body shape. For years Prius owners have taken full advantage of the great fuel efficiency offered and the ability to avoid the gas pump on many journeys from origin to destination.

With the idea of a newly designed car the Prius designers are looking to have a car that offers a wow factor from its styling. The Toyota Designers were challenged with the job of finding the right design to impress the head brass at Toyota. During a meeting between the company leaders and the designers the first Prius design was turned down with a statement that the design was just not acceptable and the team needed to give it another try.

After reworking the design the designers finally received the go ahead at a meeting in April giving way to the Prius for the 2016 model year to be one that is full of great style and appealing looks that will look nothing like the three previous generations of Prius.

Because of this late design approval and the decision to include many new and interesting technologies which will be tested in the Prius models, the 2016 Prius will not be released until late in the model year to allow ample time for testing. The goal right now is to have the new design be the body shape and style that is found on the main line of Prius models while the Plug-In Model will continue to have a more tame body style that appeals to a much larger market of car shoppers.

The long list of possible changes and speculation of how to reach different goals for the Prius line come in many different forms. Everything from a lower more athletic stance to a change in the center of gravity to a more wedge shape to the car have surfaced from a multitude of sources that all seem to be delivering materials and goods but only seem to know a little of the information regarding what the new car will have to offer.

Regardless of the changes, equipment, new styling or any other change in the Prius, the simply reality is if you own a Prius now and have been thinking of trading it in or buying a new one, you might want to wait until the new models arrive near the end of 2015 to see what they have to offer before making your decision. For those who don’t currently own a Prius and have never thought of buying one because of its wedge-like design, you might want to have an open mind to the possibilities that the new Prius might be just what you have been waiting for.

Regardless of the category of possible Prius shopper a person falls into, the simple fact that Toyota is offering a new and more attractive design for this stalwart of a hybrid vehicle is enough to elicit excitement and anticipation for the next model year.