Now that’s no science experiment
Hybridcarblog.com
By the end of this decade the Prius family could outsell Toyota’s money-maker, the Camry, according to some company statements. However, the NS4 plug-in hybrid concept suggests that maybe Toyota is having second thoughts about using the Prius is its key platform for world hybrid domination.
In fact, it’s too bad that Toyota didn’t move closer to NS4 design language with the launch of the recently upgraded 2012 Camry.
Dull, certainly wouldn’t be the word to best describe the Camry if it followed the lines of the NS4 sedan, a concept that Toyota is using to describe the future of design, connectivity and the Hybrid Synergy Drive. And about time. I know Toyota’s focus on simplicity has worked well for the Camry, but the time for serious, almost revolutionary change, is upon Toyota. Fortunately, the NS4 demonstrates that Toyota is at least aware of the this need. Now it’s about execution.
Aside from the upgraded HSD which will utilize lighter components, increase acceleration, electric range and overall fuel economy while reducing charge time, the NS4 also expresses the future of Toyota’s infotainment systems. By partnering with Intel, Microsoft and Salesforce, Toyota is shooting for a buttonless touchscreen and voice-activated smartphone-like system that is supposed to be both more useful and less distracting than anything on the market today.
Still, the real point of the NS4 is design, at least that’s the aspect I find most intriguing, particularly since this is Toyota. While it might be too early to start integrating NS4 design cues into the overall Camry platform, maybe some cues can be tweaked into the Camry hybrid. And considering Ford’s Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, I’d argue such a move is necessary before 2015.
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