Toyota Prius: From Practical to Sporty, a New Design Unveiled

World-recognized vehicle
Toyota’s flagship model Prius
Newly launched as a sports coupe?

Prius, the core model of the Toyota brand, is a vehicle with a historic record as the world’s first mass-produced full hybrid passenger vehicle. Thanks to this, the Prius has become the most popular hybrid model worldwide. It has accumulated sales of more than 1 million units in the North American market alone and has been recognized as a standard model for hybrid passenger vehicles.

If anything were disappointing about this Prius, it would be the design. Of course, moving to the current 5th generation model, the design has been dramatically improved, making this a thing of the past. However, the Prius, which has a sportier appearance than the current model, has recently appeared and has received significant attention worldwide. Let’s take a look at the news related to this together.

The Prius, known for its efficiency, has also improved in design with the fifth-generation

Prius has undergone significant changes four times to the current 5th generation model. However, in terms of design, no case received much favorable reviews. The reason is simple. The Prius model focused on the efficiency and practicality of a hybrid rather than on design beauty. Of course, this efficiency and practicality were enough to properly delve into the tendencies of consumers in the North American market.

In the 5th generation, the front part has been sharpened to improve balance, and the roof line has been lowered to create a sportier image. Some even say it is reminiscent of the front of the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. In addition, the overall design completeness was greatly improved by attaching a horizontal tail lamp and changing the rear seat door catch to a hidden type.

A sporty Prius designed by a foreign designer

The 5th generation Prius has been evaluated as having very high design perfection. Accordingly, an overseas designer, Zephyr Designz, designed a coupe model based on the 5th generation Prius. The vehicle’s width is wider, and the body is lower, but it looks like a well-made sports car at first glance.

It is also noticeable that the rear seats were removed to create a sleeker exterior, making it a two-door model. It is reminiscent of Volkswagen’s hot hatch, Scirocco. In the rear, the diffuser installed on both sides and the spoiler at the top of the rear window create a more aggressive look. The change from the existing design focused on aerodynamics and efficiency positively shocked Prius fans worldwide.

It’s been done before

This isn’t the first time the Prius has undergone such a transformation. In 2023, the same designer created the Toyota Prius Pro 2023 Hardcore Modified, based on the 5th generation Prius. According to Zephyr Designz, this rendering was modified based on the vehicle produced during that period.