Toyota NS4 Concept – I Can Haz Styling?

The words hybrid and sexy are rare sentence neighbors. On the rare occasion when a hybrid car attempts to break the Prius formula, aerodynamics comes in and transforms the car back into Prius shaped milquetoast. The Chevrolet Volt started life as a retro-looking low slung gangster mobile, but in production trim, it loses all the attitude and settles for being a Cruze with side skirts.

The Volt was a badass before it turned into a Cruze with skirts

Is it impossible to create a stylish hybrid? Toyota, the world’s largest hybrid automaker, certainly wants to with its NS4 plug-in hybrid concept. Follow the jump for a quick preview.

When looking head on at the NS4, one might think of the words “angry” or “evil”. Whatever word you choose, it’s unlikely to be “bland”.  Toyota says the NS4 previews the future of their design direction. If the Prius C is a cute puppy version of the current Prius family, then the NS4 would be a hawk that eats puppies for breakfast.  Toyota took a page from Acura’s previous designs and slapped a beak on the NS4. Fortunately, they didn’t chrome the beak, and instead saved the chrome for wing-like mascara above the angular and wide-set headlamps. Continuing with the birds of prey theme, there is a floating lip spoiler that’s only attached to the tip of its beak.

The front of the car has a unique design, but the same can’t be said of the profile or rear. The NS4 butt looks like a Chevy Volt zapped with a shrink ray. The rear lamps are slits, and the liftback hatch looks tiny relative to the jutting bumper. Toyota tried to hide the high pointing tail with a rear diffuser-looking thingy, but it’s still an awkward looking rump.

The rear may not be as well executed as the front, but at least there is execution. In profile, the NS4 designers lost interest and gave up. One of them must’ve accidentally submitted a photo of a Civic coupe on accident. From the side, the NS4 looks identical to a Civic. Not that the Civic is a bad looking car, but for a concept car meant to show the future of Toyota design, this part’s a bit of a let down.

The NS4 makes a good first impression. It’s aggressive and bold… all the way up to the A-pillar. After that, we get a Civic with a shriveled Volt-ass. Looks like we’ll have to keep waiting for a good looking hybrid. Oh wait, it might be here soon.