Comments on: Toyota's 'DecoPrius' Winks at Hello Kitty Demographic

By: tapra2

tapra2 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:21:38 +0000

Throughout Asia, young people bring their laptops and handheld electronics into shops that in turn,Top VPS Hosting

By: Neville Ross

Neville Ross — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:59:27 +0000

But can you afford one?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:24:05 +0000

BEAUTIFUL CAR…. i love it

By: qqRockyBeans

qqRockyBeans — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:19:55 +0000

I like the Hello Kitty Testarossa better

By: sean t

sean t — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:34:17 +0000

And also, style is very subjective. Everyone has their own taste. . .
Otherwise, the whole world should have been crazy.

By: sean t

sean t — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:32:31 +0000

And also the bullet trains . . .

By: Lost Prius to wife

Lost Prius to wife — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:47:15 +0000

Dom, I know that this is a repeat, but the Prius is not built for looks. Please remember that the coefficient of drag is exponential, not proportional. Therefore, the car manufactures are duplicating what Toyota found out (aerodymanics) rather than copying the Prius “look”. The best example I can think of is to look at the noses of a Learjet, a Gulfstream, any Boeing 7X7 series, and any Aerobus series. All these airplanes have the same basic nose shape with only minor different “styles”. They all have this same basis shape because it is the most aerodynamic shape. The Prius has its shape because of aerodynamics (CD 0.25), not because of Toyota wanting that to be its “style”. A Corvette has great style, but it does not have aerodynamics (CD >0.28) as good as the Prius or the Honda Insight. From the looks of the new Nissan Leaf, it may be more aerodynamic than the Corvette. Since it will takes more power to push a less aerodynamic car through the air, and therefore more gas rather than less, style does not get as much attention now as it did back in the gas guzzling days. Although you may not like it, my guess is that more and more cars are going to be manufactured “looking” like the Prius because it is a very aerodynamic automotive shape.

By: Dom

Dom — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:13:48 +0000

Duh! Toyota probably has the most bland-looking line of cars… I wouldn’t want one either!

By: Mr.Bear

Mr.Bear — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:50:07 +0000

It looks like the demographic they are shooting for is 10-year old girls. I’m pretty sure they can’t drive.

Stick to quality Toyota. The American auto makers got hung up on how cars looked instead of quality. See how well that worked out for them.

By: Samie

Samie — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:25:58 +0000

You can see some interesting differences & similarities b/t young people in the U.S. & Japan.

If you follow the article to Bloomberg you will read quote:
"Cars ranked 17th among the 25 most popular products and services among current university students, according to a survey by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association in March. Computers, clothes, portable music players, communication devices such as mobile phones and travel topped the list. Cars ranked much higher, seventh, among survey respondents in their 40s and 50s who were asked to reflect on their preferences as college students, with the electronic devices ranking lower. "

US or Japan this should be a no brainier as most of the time credit is better or more established when you get older & sometimes the amount of disposal income. Simple understanding of pricing of many electronics vs a vehicle should be noted as a laptop $500-2000 is easier to purchase then say a 12-22k vehicle.

The difference I think in Japan & the U.S is women here don't always want everything girly on or in a vehicle as most people after college want something that meets their needs but shows some responsibility/ moving up, or adulthood that does not make them look like they are stuck in high school. In the U.S. if we see a custom Prius it may send the wrong message in that some could think of a rich hipster girls mom&dad buying it for her & spending 22k plus w/ customs for high school or college. I think Toyota is trying to branch the Prius out to other demographic groups not try to create a narrow image of the car brand but getting too carried away w/ custom options may create bad PR for some. So the idea could work say for new car companies from India or China that if possible could sell cheap cars for 5-8k w/c is where you could create this market. Also if auto deals want to attract younger consumers, they should stop w/ the fake sells events/misleading fine print on ads & treat women of all ages like they are humans not someone who will buy a vehicle b/c its got a great cup holder & vanity mirror.