NS4 concept is Toyota’s vision of the state of the plug-in hybrid sedan art circa 2015, with emphasis on four core values: safety, environmental impact, connectivity, and design. It’s that last one that most impressed the crowd. This is the best looking Toyota sedan we’ve seen in quite some time, combining a modified triangle greenhouse with a cab forward windshield and trapezoidal detail elements at the front and rear. Powered by the next-generation of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, the NS4 is NOT envisioned as a halo vehicle at the top of the Prius sub-brand, but rather is meant to indicate that as public interest in alternative powertrain vehicles increases, HSD will be extended to more non-Prius vehicles. As for that “next generation” HSD, it features smaller and lighter components, improved overall fuel economy, better acceleration, longer all-electric range, and a short charge time, but does NOT adapt a Volt-style drive system that enables the internal combustion engine to turn the wheels directly for improved efficiency and permits full-range speed and acceleration in electric mode.
We’re assured that it will be simple and intuitive to operate, conveying information quickly without distraction while maximizing driver awareness (didn’t Ford say that about SYNC?). This system is supposedly capable of “learning” driver preferences and habits to anticipate driver responses in certain situations. Other interesting features of the liftback sedan include doors that swing up and out to clear high curbs (like an Aston Martin Rapide’s), and new hydrophobic glass (naturally sheds water and fog) that manages to reduce glare and ultraviolet light transmission without blocking radio waves (did you know that earlier anti-UV glass made some cars shield the signal from criminal-tracing ankle-bracelets?).
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