US buyers less than enthusiastic about Toyota Prius 'anime' design

Published Tue, Oct 4, 2016 · 09:50 PM

    Chicago

    THE Toyota Prius that Kendall Greuel bought six weeks ago does what he wanted, which is save money on his daily 100-mile round trip commute. Just one thing nags at the Oklahoman.

    "Sometimes I catch a glimpse of the car," Mr Greuel said, "and think it's kind of ugly." The 31-year-old IT worker from Muskogee has his finger on the latest vexation for Prius, the gas-electric hybrid that established Toyota Motor Corp as an environmental leader two decades ago. At a time when American customers were already defecting from Prius because of cheap petrol and a shift to trucks, the carmaker pushed through a polarising redesign - one that's been a hit at home in Japan but has failed to stem a sales slump in the US