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Design unleashed
New era of stylish, dynamic, emotional design at Toyota.
Toyota’s designers have been unleashed and given the freedom to produce stronger and more attractive styling, made possible by the new Toyota new global architecture (TNGA) platform.
The latest Prius Prime plug-in hybrid, C-HR and Camry, and the recently launched new-generation Corolla, are a result of Toyota’s global president Akio Toyoda challenging the company’s designers to create cars that speak to people’s emotions.
“Our designers are car enthusiasts and have answered Toyoda-san’s challenge, says Neeraj Lala, Toyota New Zealand’s General Manager of Product and New Vehicle sales.
“They are devoting their working life to designing desirable cars that look great and provide an engaging driving experience for a new generation of motorists.”
The TNGA platform has allowed styling freedoms such as lower rooflines and bonnets that weren’t possible before, leading to visually distinctive designs with more appealing proportions.
That’s because TNGA is built on two pillars: core strength and emphasised personality.
Core strength relates to increased chassis stiffness and a lower centre of gravity, a more rigid body, new suspension systems and a greater use of high-strength steel to provide balanced handling and ride and a more engaging drive. This is to improve the basic performance of the core (or essential structure instead of parts) parts and raises the level of all Toyota vehicles.
Under Mr Toyoda’s brief to develop designs that stir people’s emotions and make them want to drive a Toyota, the designers and engineers are working more collaboratively from the outset to develop vehicles that connect on an emotional level, says Neeraj.
“It’s no coincidence this has started with the TNGA platform that is the basis of the new vehicle line-up.”
Neeraj says past Toyota designs had relied on consumer studies in its larger more conservative markets like the united states and japan and a high degree of internal Consensus at Toyota Motor Corporation.
“TNGA is providing more fun to drive cars and giving designers the freedom to produce stronger more attractive styling,” says Neeraj.
TNGA has five domains, including satisfying to drive by everyone:
1. Driving quality: making vehicles that are satisfying to drive
2. Comfort: making drivers want to keep on driving by creating an enjoyable sensory experience
3. User-friendliness: smart technology that enriches the daily driving experience – including everything from luggage space to fuel consumption
4. Pride of ownership: state-of-the-art environmental performance teamed with sophisticated styling
5. Security: creating a strong body that protects the driver and passenger, then adding world-class security features.
Up until recently Toyota had 105 architectural platforms. Now, thanks to TNGA, the number of platforms has been reduced to five. Just as athletes build their core strength to maximise their performance, Toyota is working on improving the vehicles’ core components. To accomplish that goal and to enhance each model’s unique features, these new platforms will share their highly functional core components.
The goal wasn’t to deliver just functional benefits, such as driving quality or economic performance. Great focus was placed on more of the emotional value that cannot be measured, such as the feeling of excitement when looking at or getting into a car.