Toyota Fires Maytag Man
If you like your appliance-style Toyota ( there is statistical proof that you are not alone) then better run and buy it now. The Nikkei [sub] rattles its readers this morning with the news that Toyota “plans to build vehicles that are more eye-catching to counter criticism its cars are too bland,”
Jim Lentz, head of Toyota U.S., said that the new Camry, to be unveiled at the New York auto show in April, will already look more stylish. And that’s just the beginning. “In the years to come, you’ll see a much more emotive styling,” Lentz said.
Even Akio Toyoda conceded that “our cars need to be better looking”.
Takeshi Uchiyamada, executive vice-president for product management and research and development, promised that Toyota will be “allocating even greater resources to support the creativity of our designers.”
After a carmageddon-induced pause, Toyota will launch ten new models this year, including two Lexi, and one Scion. So again: If you like the understated Maytag look, buy your Toyota now.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
Toyota is today's Oldsmobile and Mercury - geezermobiles. Toyota sold it's soul for success in the US by eliminating any styling that could give their vehicles a semblence of personality. We see this all the time in marketing. Pop music is starting to all sound alike, thanks to a need to sell music, not create music. Retail stores are starting to be a Wal-Mart, in order to compete with Wal-Mart. A generation ago, it was A&P that stores attempted to be, and Sears. Toyota is in the business of SELLING cars, not creating cars. When you are on top, your mission is to stay on top and that makes leaders cautious. Who wants to be the guy who tanks Camry sales because he thought apeing the new Jaguar was the ticket to the top? Who wants to be the guy who tanks Corolla sales because he just had to have the new Corolla look like a Kia Soul? These decision makers aren't risk takers. While they took risks to get to the top of the Toyota heap, they turned in their genius cards when they got their first paychecks. Toyota and Honda sell their cars to old people. They know this. This is why they launched new brands. Toyota is working on making Scion an attractive brand to breathing drivers, and working on making Prius a brand of cars for people who feel so guilty for living they recycle their farts. Honda is trying to decide what an Acura is and are now trying to reach drivers who are willing to drop $50 grand for a vehicle with a bird's beak. Ford has always worked very hard to not insult anyone's eyesight. They struck gold with the Taurus, but got burned with the 1996 edition. The Ford family ate everyone who helped design that Ovid Failure after lopping off their heads and now they are feeling their oats again after pumping out such artistic treasures as the 500, the Freestyle, and the Mountaineer. It took Ford 15 years before trying something different and stylish. Toyotas are any more bland than the prechewed breakfasts their senior drivers dine on daily.
The problem isn't that they look bland. It's that they drive bland. Until Toyota fixes that, I don't care what they do with styling.
When i see a ugly design, I think of the designer being a 40 year old geek still living at home and sporting a bowtie and pocket protector. I guess the Japanese have their geeks too. Lately, Japanese manufacturers have released some of their most bland and uninspiring frog-like sheet metal to date. I actually feel myself drawn to the smooth lines and mid seventies inspired taillights of a Cobalt coupe over anything with a big (Toyota) zit in the middle of the grille. Pinch me, I must be dreaming. I just complimented GM !!
Perhaps this is a function of age, but right now just about every car out there is (to me) an ugly parody of designers emulating (and combining) each other's baroque excessiveness, which have become seemingly obligatory cliches: 1) Bangled "flame-surfaciing" crease down the side of the vehicle; and 2) Overwrought and over-sized grilles and molded headlight assemblies (some sort of phallic-envy going on here?); and 3) Front-ends designed to emulate a human face (particularly a "smiley face"); and 4) Too-small gun-slit side windows (foisted upon us via the Chrysler 300 and Hummer), making the side sheet metal of the vehicle look out of proportion; and 5) Exaggerated wheel arches stamped into the side sheet metal. Ironically, some of the most tasteful and stylish vehicles today (relatively speaking) seem to be coming from Hyundai-KIA. Whodda thunk?