Why are hybrid cars so ugly?

Question

Toyota Prius etc are so ugly to look at. Why cant the manufacturers make a hybrid car that just looks normal?

Answer 1

I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder...

If you want to stand out, or show off your hybrid purchase, get a Honda Insight (now discontinued) or a Toyota Prius.  Their aerodynamic design is quite unique (although the Toyota Echo, the newer Toyota Corolla, and the Chevy Aveo look a lot like my NHW11 Prius...).

Honda puts some of the blame of low sales volume on the Honda Accord Hybrid (which caused the HAH to be discontinued) because it looks just like a regular normal Accord and doesn't stand out, though.  (I can't find the article at the moment...)

But there are plenty of other hybrid cars (and trucks!) on the road, that look just like a normal car, too:

Honda Civic Hybrid

Toyota Camry Hybrid

Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Lexus RX400h (Harrier hybrid)

Lexus GS450h

Lexus LS600hL

Ford Escape Hybrid

Mercury Mariner Hybrid

Mazda Tribute Hybrid

Saturn Vue Green Line

Saturn Aura Green Line

Nissan Altima Hybrid

GMC Sierra hybrid

Chevy Silverado hybrid

and soon to be available GMC Yukon and Chevy Tahoe hybrids...

Since the Toyota Prius only makes up about 50% of the US hybrid sales, for every Prius you see on the road there is another normal-looking hybrid vehicle that you probably are not noticing...

http://www.hybridcars.com/market-dashboa...

Answer 2

I think they want to stand out from the crowd, so that people can identify a hyrbid car and so even the ones that don't know a lot about cars can recognize one.

Answer 3

The only hybrid which looks unusual is the Toyota Prius.  It looks the way it does because it's the most aerodynamic car on the road.  

"The Prius boasts a drag coefficient of just 0.26, making it one of the most aerodynamic production cars ever to hit the road."

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/...

That's a big part of why it gets the best mileage of any car in America, and is the greenest car on the planet.

http://www.reuters.com/article/environme...

Personally I think that's cool, and I like the look of it.

Every other hybrid looks exactly like a normal car.  The Civic hybrid looks like a regular Civic, the Escape hybrid looks like a regular Escape, etc. etc.  So I'm not really sure what you're talking about when you say that no hybrids look normal.

Answer 4

I think the early hybrids (Toyota Prius, Honda Insight) were delliberately made to stand out at the expense of aesthetics. But hybrid technology is now showing up in more conventional models. Hallelujah to that!

Answer 5

I like them!!!

Answer 6

They make them so ugly so people won't confuse them with mainstream autos .No seriously they do ask what a control study thinks of a design, then if it's favourable they use these designs.This is usually the case but there are some cars that these study groups miss the mark for the general public.

Answer 7

The reason is so that people can show off the fact that they have one. When people buy something new (i.e. they are an ealry adopter) they want to show it off and let people know they have the latest gadget. This is no different here and in order for car companies to make sure people can show this off they make the cars look 'different' from their normal range!

Answer 8

you spend so much on one, im sure they want to stand out...

and its so we can tell at a glance its not a real car

Answer 9

That's always how it is. Something new is always ugly. No sarcastic

Answer 10

dats da way it is u want to help da environment you cant look good doin it

Answer 11

They are not all ugly. Many normal cars, like a Honda Civic for example, are available in hybrid versions that look no different from the non hybrid versions at all. Basically, you have seen hybrid cars that you didn't even know were hybrid many times.

But the Prius is designed to look like that on purpose because the customers LIKE it. It appeals to a certain demographic that wants to flaunt their "greenness".

Answer 12

They do make hybrids that look the same as other cars.  I don't know what Toyota was thinking.

Answer 13

Because they have so little power they have to be made as light as possible. Styling suffers as a result of this.

Answer 14

They are aerodynamically designed to be more fuel efficient ; yes, that makes them ugly LOL. There is a small American company which makes a great looking electric sports car. It is called the TESLA. Have a look at teslamotors.com.