Prius Designer to talk at OC Prius Meeting Sat Jan 20th

videotaping would be an awesome idea. would love to come, but work interferes

 

Please please please , video tape would be AWSOME!!!! Wish I could go to Cali, but if someone could tape it for a post on PriusChat, that would be really really cool........

 

If you can get a video of the event I would gladly host the video on my web server or make a torrent or both.

 

excellent ! I can offer to host as well on our web server! No worries!! :lol:

 

Just sent you e-mail.

I was supposed to attend a class but it's been delayed so I'm now free!

BTW if you need videocamera, LCD projector/screen or anything let me know soonest and I'll pack the car.

 

Dang! That's way too short notice and quite a drive for me (~370 miles 1 way). I wish I could make it.

Maybe he'll come to Nor Cal sometime?

 

Any word on whether or not it was recorded in either video or audio form?

It'd be great if there were another one w/more advance notice. I could either plan for a drive or flight down there a little better. Plane ticket to LA on such short notice is quite expensive and I was in no shape to drive 6+ hours to LA after work Friday night or somehow wake up early enough on Saturday morning.

 

I have a videotape. A few others taped as well.

However, the stipulation was that it not be published. So sorry, no, this will not be on the web.

He was difficult to understand but I think with some time I might come up with a transcript and maybe a screen capture or two.

It was really a great presentation.

Sev MacPete and his wife were also there from PriusClubSD and he got it on DVD, so we may have a showing for the PriusClubSD people in the future.

 

Ok Guys, What did he say?

Any clues on the 2008 model?

Keith

 

He may not want it on the Web because his English is not as good as he word like. I have met some Japanese with very good English skills who apologize for not speaking the language well and truly seem embarrassed by it. He designed the Prius, speaks English and Japanese, who knows what else, I bow to him. What ever info you can give us I would love to read.

 

I think I can say with confidence that the hatchback is not going away.

There was a slide of the engineers developing the new gen II design from the gen I design. There was a gen I in a wind tunnel with art tag board and packing tape all over it creating the new hatchback back end on the gen I car. After they got the design, they handed it over to the designers to develop a car with that basic shape.

There was also a slide of a lot of artist renderings based on that basic shape. From coupe-like to sedan-like to van/stationwagon-like. it was interesting too.

We also saw an artists rendering of the new FT-HS and the shape is very prius-like. It's a two door with probably a shorter wheelbase and it's lower to the ground I think, but the basic shape is similar.

There was also an excellent slide on interior room. It showed that the Prius was way outside the norm in interior room, having room equivalent to a Camry but being in more of a Corolla class. In other words, a huge bang for the buck. The graphic was very simple and elegant but powerful.

They were looking for a combination of green and fun. They wanted a car that was as environmentally friendly as possible but still fun to drive and elegant to look at. So they're not going to do anything to make the car less green. And any rumors of the hatchback going away are just that.....rumors. And probably getting the Prius mixed up with some other design that's being considered.

He would not confirm or deny there may someday be a whole line of Prius separate, like Lexus. He also would not confirm or deny there will be a plug in. Who could? Will there be a plug in someday? Well, duh. It's when and how that's the issue. And he couldn't say anything about that. He's a designer, not an engineer.

We got a chance to make wishes after the presentation. I wished for dark blue and side signal mirrors. Someone else wished they'd NEVER get rid of the hatchback. And of course, there were wishes for plug-in.