The chief designer at Toyota’s Calty studio in the United States has declared that the Japanese brand is no longer content with “bland” styling.
Speaking to Automotive News, Ian Cartabiano said that Toyota president Akio Toyoda had given the firm’s designers increased “creative freedom”.
“The era of boring cars, of bland cars and anonymous design is over,” Cartabiano told the US publication.
“It’s what Akio expects. When the president says something like that, it really allows designers to feel creative freedom.”
Cartabiano, who is based at Toyota’s Calty design studio in California, revealed that the brand was spending more money on design than before, something made possible by the modern use of modular underpinnings.
“It’s brought down cost in some areas, which allows more cost to be spent on more expressive design. It’s something that wouldn’t happen in the old way of doing things.”
Cartabiano used the example of the rear three-quarter styling of the C-HR.
“That’s a crazy-ass shape. I think the side panel of the C-HR would look really cool hung on the wall as a piece of art. In the old days, people would have said: ‘that’s a lot of extra cost’ or ‘that’s a lot of extra time. Let’s take the easy way out’,” he explained.
Cartabiano went on to say that he thought it was “okay” if modern Toyota designs were polarising.
“I respect something that’s new but not perfect, rather than something that’s beautiful but nondescript. I’d rather be challenged than made comfortable. Polarising is okay.”
