Toyota Etios is making a name for itself by breaking basic rules of car design
By: Danillo Almeida
Tags: Toyota, Style, English, Car Design, Cars

Toyota Etios is making a name for itself

by breaking basic rules of car design

Hatchback and sedan have always been considered ugly, but managed to thrive anyway and were facelifted without any intention to change that (article originally written on February 4th)

If you ask people what qualities does an automobile absolutely need to be successful among press and public, you would certainly hear “design” from many of them, if not all. When you use the general definition of the word, design can make the car safer, more pleasant to use, and even more fuel-efficient. And when you use the popular definition, design can make the car attractive; people start to desire it, and then feel proud of owning it. Design can be the reason why people choose the model A over the B even if they are equally good at the other aspects - sometimes, it drives up the A’s sales even when the B is better at those other aspects.

Such benefits make it easy to understand why does everyone appreciate good design. In nowadays, the only models which still prosper without having design as a priority are those aimed at very rational consumer groups, such as commercial vans and low-cost compacts. Nevertheless, even those show some concern with the current trends; if following them makes production too expensive, companies opt for a neutral look. However, this rule is not free of exceptions. The latest of them to deserve attention is the compact family which Toyota initially designed in India in order to become more competitive in some emergent markets.

Labelling the Etios beautiful or ugly will always depend on each person’s preferences, but it is undeniable that its design lacks harmony. Some elements were poorly executed individually, but the biggest problem is that they do not agree with one another. This is the root of many of the problems with that regard people find on these cars. When you take a closer look, it is even possible to divide them into two big categories.

Some of the questionable cues are global. The front fascia features two horizonal elements, one made by



headlights and upper grille and the other by fog lights and lower grille, while the rear displays vertical lights.



The sides uses two creases, just like many cars. The thing is, the upper one is smooth but wide, which aids to a



bigger, more solid look, whereas the lower one is narrow and angular, and approaches the rear going upwards,



just like what Lexus uses to convey dynamism and sportiness. Last, but not least, opening the doors immediately takes your eyes to one of the most cluttered-looking central consoles of modern automobiles.

The remaining styllistic mishaps are more concerned with details. The upper grille is round and moves downwards like cartoonish smiles, and yet the headlights use a lower line which approaches the grille going upwards. The fog lights have no connection with any other part of the body. The chrome bar on the trunk lid which comes with upscale trims aims at a fancy look, but its shape and position just make it out of place. Last, but not least, placing the instrument cluster above the console makes it simpler to adapt the car to left and right-hand driving. But that also limits its height, so reading it becomes more difficult than in most cars.