2022 Car Design Award Winner Toyota Compact Cruiser; is an all-wheel drive EV headed for production
One of the most iconic designs in automotive history has to be the Toyota FJ, over the years it has remained in the consciousness of all automotive fanboys the world over. The good news is, it seems Toyota isn’t done with it just yet, The Toyota Compact Cruiser was conceived as a design exercise that is part of Toyota’s ambitious EV roadmap for the future. It recently won the 2022 Car Design Award during the annual Milano Design Week and world-renown Salone del Mobile at the Milan Furniture Fair.
Photo: Toyota
About the Toyota Compact Cruiser
The recent design win prompted Toyota to showcase more of the Compact Cruiser’s design, it borrows design cues from Toyota’s strong off-roading heritage.
According to the Japanese automaker, The Toyota Compact Cruiser EV is designed to enhance the lifestyle of the target market. These are young professionals who are urban dwellers, these are people who live active lifestyles. The Toyota Compact Cruiser wants to offer a “uniquely engaging, go anywhere, all-wheel-drive EV experience.”
Photo: Toyota
Design
The design was conceptualized and created by the Toyota ED2 team based out of Nice (France), it was first showcased in December last year at the Toyota Mega Web in Tokyo. Toyota Design Senior General Manager Simon Humphries had this to say, “Our research into electric vehicles has been ongoing for more than 30 years, and we’ve come a long way.” He further added that “After an initial phase of contact with electric vehicles, people will want zero-emission cars that speak about them and express their lifestyle. And the Compact Cruiser EV is a perfect example of that trend.”
The Toyota Compact Cruiser EV is slated for production by 2024, we do hope that it makes its way here. Lastly, the significance of the Compact Cruiser is that it shows how automakers want to make the EV future as fun as possible.
