With the Aygo X Prologue Toyota shows itself from a very expressive side. Techzle spoke to Ian Cartabiano, Director of Design and Director of Toyota’s European Design Studio ED2 about the concept car that shows what the new Aygo could become.
“No more boring cars” was the credo of Toyota President Akio Toyoda a few years ago. Since then, the brand has been doing its best to make its cars just a little more exciting than before. With the C-HR presented in 2016, Toyota was remarkably expressive and the new Yaris also breaks with its image in that regard. The Aygo was already quite cheeky with its characteristic X-face, but the A-segmenter seems to turn out to be a true daredevil at its upcoming generation change. The Aygo X Prologue shows how the new Aygo will be broadly. Techzle spoke to Ian Cartabiano, President and Director of Design of ED2, the European design center where the Aygo X Prologue, like the C-HR, started life.
Toyota Aygo X Prologue (design sketch)
‘Everyone should be able to have a nice car’
The Aygo is a model only sold in Europe, so it is no wonder that Toyota’s ED2 design center near Nice is the birthplace of the Aygo X Prologue. The European customer turns out to be a difficult one. “The European customer is demanding. Expectations are getting higher, this applies to cars in every segment and therefore also for the A segment,” says Cartabiano. “One of the main reasons that you buy a Toyota is its quality. But in terms of design and design experience, we have taken a step forward. You can see that in the C-HR, for example, but also in the Yaris Cross and the de Yaris The Yaris is less expressive, but that fits much better in the segment that car operates in. We pay more and more attention to detail and that also applies to the Aygo X Prologue. segments expected. ” Cartabiano mentions, among other things, the interconnected rear lights and the striking, also interlocked headlights as examples. “This gives the Prologue a very strong identity. I have always been in favor of democratizing good design. Good design is for the masses and is not necessarily reserved for supercars or hypercars. The Aygo X Prologue had to become a great car. That was the mission. Everyone should be able to have a cool car, right? “
Toyota Aygo X Prologue
Affordability comes first
Nicer details and more exciting design, but that does not mean that the Aygo is suddenly on the market for a premium price. “Affordability remains arguably the Aygo’s most important core value.” Affordability is more than desirable, the Aygo is an A-segmenter after all. “Design is also becoming increasingly expressive in the A segment. This is partly due to buyers, generally young people who live in urban environments. Research shows that a car is a fashion item for many of them. I really wanted the Aygo X Prologue not to be a cute car. That was certain from the start. It had to be cool. The Aygo X Prologue shows our new vision on the A-segment. “
Toyota Aygo X Prologue (design sketch)
New but recognizable
The Aygo X Prologue has a strong dose of crossover in the design, but the concept car does not have black plastic wheel arch edges. “The Prologue has a much tougher one stance, especially thanks to its tall, strikingly large wheels. Those big wheels are possible because of the GA-B platform, we would never have been able to do that otherwise. “Despite the crossover sauce that Toyota has poured over the Aygo forerunner, the study model is still clearly recognizable as Aygo.” Especially the the rear of the car provides the link with the Aygo, which is a landmark. The Aygo is an important car for us, it is successful and has now established a name. You don’t just throw away an icon. We have also chosen to return the bi-tone color scheme of the current Aygo, but in a completely different way. Not only the roof is now a different color, but also almost the entire part behind the rear doors. This optically pushes the front of the car more forward. It gives the car a more active look. The black part at the bottom of the doors is a trick to visually elevate the car on its legs. It gives the car a stronger, firmer look. A new type of crossover. “
Obviously, the new Aygo will not be an exact copy of the Aygo X Prologue, but it seems certain that Toyota is choosing a different direction with the third generation – although recognizable as Aygo. Undoubtedly more later this year!
This article was previously online at 2:37 PM, but due to a bug in the system, we had to repost it.