Toyota’s new look

Style geek Toyota is taking its boldest step yet to come up with a new global design: but it could have a new problem on its hands. Is it too radical?

The brand’s boldly-styled Dear Qin sedan and hatchback concepts, unveiled at this week’s Beijing motor show apparently hint to how Toyota’s future cars could look as the brand attempts to give its cars “never-before-seen emotional designs”.

The four-door sedan and five-door hatchback concept cars point to a pair of budget-friendly city runabouts due for production in 2013. Toyota describes the cars as “global-strategic” models which have been designed to “attract more people to the user base”.

We interpret that to mean they're being designed for a possible budget brand or model line-up for developing countries.

The cars are the first iteration of Toyota’s new global platform, which will underpin about 50 per cent of all cars it builds worldwide.

Toyota says the new-generation models will have a “revised vehicle body structure” which will give its cars a “lower centre of gravity and bolder styling”.

We just hope this is not what the next Corolla - due at the end of this year - looks like.

Toyota also previewed a new China-only hybrid sedan with the Yundong Shuangqing concept.
 

It’s powered by a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain developed by Toyota’s Chinese division (Shuangqing means “dual support”) – an area that Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda says offers potential in the world’s biggest car market.

“We would like to put smiles on the faces of our Chinese customers with hybrid technology,” Toyoda said at the reveal of the car. “I want the people of China to be able to experience the beauty of hybrid technology through a hybrid car born in China.

All three cars were revealed at this week’s Beijing motor show.