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Spotted at the L.A. Auto Show: Toyota's Designed-in-China Rhombus
Aimed at drivers born after 1990
Toyota's electric Rhombus concept, which was designed "to suit the values and lifestyles of drivers born after 1990," made an appearance at this week's L.A. Auto Show. Notably, the Rhombus was designed not in Newport Beach nor Tokyo, but at TMEC, Toyota's R&D branch in China.
Virtually no information was provided about the concept besides its origin, target demographic, and the fact that it's meant to be a battery electric vehicle. The full-scale model they rolled out was placed out-of-reach behind a glass barrier, so we could not get close enough to see the interior; but a rendering on Toyota's website reveals its unusual 1+2+1 interior.
This study-in-styling was likely meant to test TMEC's capabilities and gauge audience reaction. I will say: While I had to photograph this because it's so unusual-looking, it didn't take long. (The other vehicles at the show are typically swarming with journalists, and you have to wait for the oceans to part before you can get your shot.)
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I don't do much contract work anymore, so I don't much care who I might offend - but my overall impression of this design is - well, it's a bit "weird looking". I guess I'm stuck in "old school" thinking. If you are looking to shock and catch someone's attention, this should do it! However, it does have one feature that I feel deserves some serious attention - the up-front single driver's seat placed along the centerline. Highway driving over many years has taught me that most drivers seem to struggle with "lane centering" their car. They drive either too far to the right, or too close to the left. Sitting in the exact center would probably help these drivers to maintain a balanced spacing on either side. Good safety feature.
One of Ralph Nader's big contributions to humanity was persuading Detroit not to make points on the front of objects that can travel in excess of 60 mph, especially points (wedges) that would drive a body downward, under said objects. I thought they taught that in Auto Design 101.