In the wake of the recent jump in gasoline prices, the rules of the automotive game have changed -- seemingly overnight. In response, Toyota -- known for making vehicles that people want -- is changing too.
Take, for example, the company's approach to design.
"Industrywide, everyone is trying to develop vehicles faster," says Kevin Hunter, president of Calty Design Research, the North American arm of Toyota Motor Corporation's global design network. "Trends seem to change more quickly. There's a lot more competition. And you can cut costs by turning around a design in months rather than years."
The new Toyota VENZA, coming late 2008, serves as a case in point -- not only of the current state of Toyota's product design process but also as a tangible sign of where Toyota's design philosophy is heading.
The innovative car's genesis dates back just three years, to the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, when Toyota unveiled its FT-SX concept car. Conceived by Toyota Motor Sales' Advanced Product Strategy group and brought to life by Calty, the FT-SX sought to define a new vehicle genre that combines elegance, innovation, luxury and utility. The concept car proved to be a show-stopper, prompting a quick decision to proceed to production.
As is Toyota's custom, Calty's designers in Newport Beach, California, competed with those from TMC to chart the VENZA's course. In the end, Calty's ideas held sway, and eventually, leadership on the project shifted from California to Calty's design facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Hunter describes the VENZA as perhaps the truest expression of Vibrant Clarity, Toyota's core design philosophy.
"Vibrant has to do with expression and emotion," he says. "Clarity has to do with the rational aspects of the vehicle. We believe VENZA strikes a balance between the two. It has to have a sense of purpose. But it has to function well too."
Take, for example, the VENZA's 20-inch wheels -- a first as standard equipment on a Toyota production vehicle. The big and bold rims make a big and bold statement aesthetically. But they also contribute to the VENZA's performance credentials.
"We've been working 20 years to get 20-inch wheels on a car," says Ian Cartabiano, Calty's project chief designer on the VENZA's exterior. "It's one of the things I'm most happy and proud of. The overall stance of the vehicle is very strong, with the wheels placed out to look sure-footed and glued to the ground. It looks like it can handle speed."
Similarly, peek inside and your eyes are drawn to the VENZA's ingeniously sweeping 60/60 center dashboard.
"Most car interiors are like dual cockpits, where both driver and front passenger feel as if they only have access to 40 percent of the available space," says Benjamin Jimenez, Calty's project chief designer on the VENZA's interior. "The flow of VENZA's center console is a bit of an optical illusion. Both driver and passenger feel as if 60 percent of the space is their personal zone."
But the console's emotional feel also delivers practicality, incorporating an ergonomically correct gear shift knob as well as ample storage compartments.
"A hallmark of a Toyota product is that it works well. But Americans really want to love their cars too," Hunter says. "VENZA represents the future of Toyota design. We need to continue to develop products that are smart and practical. But, given the competitive landscape, they must also evoke an emotional response. Great function and great design: We want to do it all!"
