Well, this actually happened! We managed to catch the most weird-looking test vehicle so far and guess what, it is the prototype of the new Toyota Auris hatchback which was performing tests in Northern Europe. But when we say weird-looking we do not mean the slapped on shop-found front lights or the camouflage that has three different colors, no! We are implying on the other things on these shots that caught our eyes!
The first thing that is off are the headlights but it’s about not their look, it is their position that is strange. They seem to be somewhat lower than on the current gen, but that can be tied to the new bumper look. The bumper is, of course, a second strange thing on this vehicle, and it is awkward because it looks a lot like the one that can be found on the new Prius, but we can’t be 100% sure mainly because of all the layers of camo that it’s wearing. The hood and its contours imply that Japanese carmaker has implemented some new design style, and we figured that from the lack of the cutout for the Toyota badge, which was mandatory for the current model.
But that is all up front, let’s peek what the sides of the car hide. As you can see, there is a significant amount of space between wheels which could be Toyota’s way of telling us that the new Auris has grown. The side mirrors have been moved up slightly, and the third window now seems to be integrated into the rear door, while the ongoing model has it just above the back door. This also pulls towards heavy changes to the C-pillar which can’t be described in detail because of the intricate camo around it.
The back side of the car is a lot normal and standard so to say because you can see that it carries current gen taillights and the tailgate which also appears to be from the Auris that is available for sale now. All this mixing of new, old and strange parts indicate that Toyota will not show this vehicle anytime soon. There is a huge chance that it might debut in its production clothes sometime in mid-2018, but when it arrives, we are certain that it will be underpinned by the TNGA platform that carries the already mentioned Prius, from which the new Auris will also inherit hybrid technology.
