Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Next Toyota Aygo will be a crossover. Image by Toyota.

Next Toyota Aygo will be a crossover
Toyota unveils the Aygo X Prologue concept, a go-it-alone A-segment machine with a lifestyle bent and higher stance.
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

What's all this about?

This chunky little item is the next-generation Toyota Aygo. But it's all change for the third generation of the Japanese outfit's diminutive city car, because you need to be thinking lifestyle. The vehicle you can see in the pictures has the full and correct name of the Aygo X Prologue Concept, and you pronounce that 'X' in the middle as 'Cross'. As in, Yaris Cross.

What? You mean, the Aygo is becoming a crossover?!

It would appear so. Toyota, in unveiling this smart little creation, talks big about the integrated roof rails, as well as cameras in the door mirrors that can record footage of 'moments of exploration', enlarged wheels giving the driver a higher eye-point, and also the mounting point in the rear skid plate that allows for the fitment of a cycle carrier. It would appear a cheap'n'cheerful hatchback is no longer enough for the A-segment. It's therefore time for only the second micro-SUV we can think of, following on from the similarly diminutive Suzuki Ignis.

Ooh, does that mean we get two French alternatives to the Aygo X, too?

Nope. The production agreement between Toyota and the PSA Group has now come to an end, with the Japanese company going its own way. As of right now, it's highly likely there won't be any replacements at all for either the Citroen C1 or the Peugeot 108, but even if something comes along to replace them then these Gallic cars won't look anything like the Aygo X.

Right, so what technical details do we know about it?

Er... nothing. This is Toyota proudly presenting the look of its stocky, jacked-up body, so there are no glimpses of the Aygo X Prologue's interior nor mention of its propulsive force. Doing a little light extrapolation, we'd argue that the mainly smoothed-off front end of the concept itself suggests it might be powered by pure electric, as is the zeitgeist these days. Also, many manufacturers have realised that the only way to make city runarounds profitable in the long term is to make them pure EVs; it's a bold move, but one already taken by the Fiat 500 and the Honda e, and Toyota is also starting its move to electrification with the Lexus UX 300e at the vanguard. We're not saying the production version of the Aygo X will definitely be electric-only, you understand, but there's a good bet an EV variant will be part of the line-up, while part-electrified hybrids are surely a given with this particular company.

Beyond that, the Aygo X (or Aygo Cross, if you prefer) will probably sit on the same Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) GA-B platform that underpins the Yaris supermini and the front half of the outstanding GR Yaris, which has a GA-C rear end to accommodate its all-wheel-drive nature. Don't expect AWD on the Aygo Cross, though, as it'll be an urbanite adventurer's type of car, not one designed to venture miles into the wilderness with locking diffs, snorkels, lift kits and all-terrain tyres.

Sure, sure. So, can we talk about the design?

Well, we'll happily go on record as saying it looks terrific. No, really; we love it. The colour of the concept is Sparkling Chilli Red, a paint which actually has some fine blue metal-flake sprinkled into it to really make it pop, and it is contrasted by Toyota's 'bi-tone' finish. There's much more black on show here thank on current production models from the manufacturer, with all of the Aygo X's A-pillars, the roof, the C-pillars and the rear haunches finished in the shade, which bleeds into the sills and then encircles the profile of the front wheel arches. You also won't fail to notice the full-width light signatures fore and aft, the leading items forming a wing shape that echoes the sculpting of the bonnet, while the back includes a section that bisects the boot-release handle - this means the latch is illuminated at night by the rear lights themselves, which is a nice touch. Toyota would also like to point out that the taillight clusters are vaguely hexagonal, as (subtly) are many of the motifs on the car (viewing the bi-tone in profile, for example). However, there are more overt hexagons elsewhere, such as in the front bumper's grille section and for use on the foglamps in the Aygo X Prologue's chin. The use of the six-sided form puts Toyota in exalted company; most modern Lamborghinis have strong hexagonal design themes both inside and out, while BMW instrument clusters in the 2020s follow much the same layout.

It is a good-looking little car. Was it styled in Japan?

No, it was penned at Toyota's ED2 facility in the South of France. To be fair, the team which designed it was truly global, with international members heading to the site just outside Nice from all over the world to work on the Aygo X. However, a strong emphasis on European styling was desired in the end product and we're hopeful much of the distinctive appearance of the concept will make it into the eventual production version. As it is, we're eagerly anticipating more details on the Aygo X Prologue's interior layout and its mechanicals, so we'll bring you them as and when we have them.

For now, let's conclude with Lance Scott, the design director of ED2, who said of the concept: "Fun and playfulness has always been at the heart of Aygo. Now, we've added to its DNA an additional pinch of hot spice."

And Ian Cartabiano, ED2's president, added: "Everybody deserves a cool car. When I look at the Aygo X prologue, I'm really proud to say that ED2 Team created exactly that. I'm excited to see it revolutionising the A-segment."



Matt Robinson - 17 Mar 2021


2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.

2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.2021 Toyota Aygo X Prologue Concept. Image by Toyota.









www.toyota.co.uk    - Toyota road tests
- Toyota news
- Aygo X images






Land Rover teases new flagship Defender Octa. Image by Land Rover.
Land Rover Defender Octa teaser
The forthcoming, high-performance, top-of-the-range Defender takes its name from the shape of a diamond, apparently.
 
Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©