Toyota's CEO recently announced that Toyota would be making "no more boring cars."
Then, immediately, he explained that the way Toyota is going to stop being boring is going to be by fixing their styling and giving styling designers control on par with engineering designers for a project.
He never once mentioned anything about what the cars will DO to be less boring.
This is also the same guy who asked if the new 2018 Camry (scroll below, if you're brave enough) was "Sexy, or really sexy," because being just a LITTLE out of touch is not enough these days.

I'm pretty sure this is like me saying "Hey guys, I'm going to walk faster now!" and then buying a Segway.

Proving that Toyota's understanding of "boring" has nothing at all to do with good or bad, and everything to do with being the opposite of obnoxious and loud, here's the new "sexy" Camry:


(Note to Toyota: the Bangle Butt died ten years ago and nobody liked it then, either. God damn you guys are terrible at this!)

So, essentially, we can expect even worse styling from Toyota going forward, only instead of being forgettable and bland it's going to be eyebleeding and painful.

Thanks, Mr. Toyoda. You sure are doing us all a favor by saving us from all those boring cars.

Also:
What the F@$K is even happening on that C-pillar? And the roof above? Just random creases? Was that deliberate? I couldn't have imagined anything that terrible in my most horrific nightmares.

If I was teaching an automotive design class and somebody handed that in, I'd fail the whole class, quit my job, and move to Antarctica.

Oh, and lastly, because apparently it needs to be said:
Talk is cheap. Put up or shut up. Telling me you're going to do something is worth nothing. I'll believe it when I see it and, until then, shut your face and quit wasting my time.

I'm with you! Being a Toyota Technician, we're getting left in the dust. Just something new "Looks" can't fix. They've gotten a bit better with designing, but the execution is lacking. Toyota missed the whole "Retro" era with the Mustang, camaro, and challenger (purposefully leaving out the charger). Supra, Corolla (RWD), Celica (All-Trac), MR-2 (Turbo), etc. Way too many options to cash in on that where Toyota decided the Prius needed 2 brothers and a new brand (SCION) instead of recapturing the spirit people saw that drove them to Toyota in the first place. They tried with the GT-86/FR-S but they can't expect a complete reversal off one (Sporty) car.

It looks like Toyota is in the works of bringing back the Supra (BMW), time will only tell if Mr. Toyota holds true to the "No more boring cars" bit. Hopefully with a I6 turbo monster.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE, UPDATE THE SEQUOIA ALREADY!!

I have a Camry. It's a reliable grocery getter and work commuter. The epitome of boring. It is one of the most "American" made cars, so I have that button I can wear. Anyway, I don't see the Camry as being even remotely capable of pulling Toyota out of the boring car segment. Just yesterday, NPR was talking about Toyota sales plummeting (in comparison to others) because they focus on mid-sized commuters.

The new Prius model that has the 59 chevy style tail fins is the epitome of stupid.

They make the ugliest trucks on the market, yet somehow maintain the highest resale values.

My GF's 2011 Highlander limited is a big expensive beast that drives like a storage container and rattles and shakes at under 70k miles. Total junk and not even close to the build quality of the two Muranos I've owned (how sad is that?)

That... is nasty.

Bleh. And to think, Toyota is what Nissan is aspiring to. If they keep going down the road they're on, they'll get there.

To be fair, he said they weren't going to be boring. I suppose being ugly to the point of vomiting is not boring.

But the Toyota 86 (formerly the Scion FRs) is not a boring car, in fact it's a pretty nice little sports car. I don't quite get the whining about it not having enough power. Hello, it's a momentum car. They're great if you know how to drive. Toyota also has a new Supra in the pipeline, about which I'm curious if they price it reasonably. As far as making their transportation appliances less boring? At the end of the day, enthusiasts don't buy them anyway, so why does it really matter? And besides, most enthusiasts fail to see the upside, the silver lining of transportation appliances. There is the entertainment value of teasing to be enjoyed when the PARENT (or relative) of real enthusiast buys a boring car like a Camry and loves it. the ballbustage can be epic!

You are right about the 86. I genuinely want one. It's really the only car I want that I could afford if I was actually car shopping right now. I think they got it right. That being said, if I was ACTUALLY shopping, I'd order a BRZ and wait however many months the backlog is.

I almost pulled the trigger on an FRS but always figured I'd be disappointed down the line with the power. Happy I found a 10k mile 2 year old 370Z instead.

Still like those FRS/BRZs when I see them though.

I was looking at a new 86 in the Toyota parking lot just last night... Nice car. I like the how they got rid if the giant grey plastic 86 in the fender and filled it in with a more respectable vent looking thing.

It'd be better if there was nothing there at all except fender. But of course it's 2017 so you have to have some stupid fake s***.

We had a white FR-S come in today. Lowered, obvious aftermarket exhaust, and wheels that fit great. I kind of figured it'd be just like the other 20 FR-S/BRZ's in my town. "If you can't make it fast, make it loud" approach, if you know what I mean. Looked under the hood, pleasantly surprised to see a turbo fitted to it. Had a check engine light on and needed a test drive anyway, so I checked it out. He had a boost gauge set up on the a pillar. I saw 12 psi once. That's all the fun I think I was ready to take an a** whoppin for if I was spotted. Talk about total eye opening! Completely changed my view of the FR-S.

Desert Rat wrote:I almost pulled the trigger on an FRS but always figured I'd be disappointed down the line with the power. Happy I found a 10k mile 2 year old 370Z instead.

Still like those FRS/BRZs when I see them though.

I would have absolutely no intention of keeping it stock, so the power level wouldn't matter all that much to me. It would likely get a turbo pretty quickly afterwards.

wa-chiss wrote:We had a white FR-S come in today. Lowered, obvious aftermarket exhaust, and wheels that fit great. I kind of figured it'd be just like the other 20 FR-S/BRZ's in my town. "If you can't make it fast, make it loud" approach, if you know what I mean. Looked under the hood, pleasantly surprised to see a turbo fitted to it. Had a check engine light on and needed a test drive anyway, so I checked it out. He had a boost gauge set up on the a pillar. I saw 12 psi once. That's all the fun I think I was ready to take an a** whoppin for if I was spotted. Talk about total eye opening! Completely changed my view of the FR-S.

I'd be pissed if that was my car you were out hotrodding.

Exactly why I loathe taking anything in for service.

Desert Rat wrote:
I'd be pissed if that was my car you were out hotrodding.

Exactly why I loathe taking anything in for service.

The 2 DTC's it had were for a direct injector and system too rich. For which a drive cycle is warranted for proper diagnosis and verification of repair to observe fuel trims. Now, not only did I not do anything the customer doesn't do to his own car, it was on a private road (owned by the dealership) and I had permission from the owner. I did not red line the engine, power shift, or even get full throttle. I had recorded the data stream on my test drive and included throttle angle (actual and requested), MAF, long term and short term fuel trims, AFR, etc...

My remark about the a** whoppin I would get was from our GM. He doesn't like anyone driving over 20MPH on our road for its not long, but long enough for a 1st gear pull on Corvette with plenty of space to stop, so a turbo FR-S is safe. The remainder of my test drive was on public roads stop and go and up to 75mph (yes the speed limit).

I'm glad I just got the '17 Maxima SR, that thing is

MinisterofDOOM wrote:It'd be better if there was nothing there at all except fender. But of course it's 2017 so you have to have some stupid fake bullsh*t.

I'm with ya. I think a solid fender would have been fine. It's not like the engine bay breaths through there or anything functional. Though it's not a new thing. I was pretty disappointed in the classic mustang putting on what appeared to be a chromed piece of plastic on the sides in front of the rear wheel fender area. Or a scoop lookin thing. Does that port to a brake cooler or something? No, it does not. Just for looks. That's a detail though. I do like classic mustangs quite a bit for their aesthetics.