BusinessWeek: Prius one of the 50 Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years
Posted Nov 4th 2009 12:02PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. While some cars seem to be almost universally loved for their gorgeous lines and undeniable sense of style – the Lamborghini Miura and Shelby Daytona Coupe certainly come to mind – others, such as the new Honda Crosstour and even the latest Nissan GT-R – not to mention nearly everything currently wearing the Acura badge – sport more debatable duds.
And what of the car that's most commonly associated with the green movement? Of course, that would be the Toyota Prius, and we know that some happen to find the car rather attractive... whether that's for its slip-through-the-wind styling or the high fuel mileage – made possible in part by that styling – that its owners happily enjoy. According to BusinessWeek, though, the second-gen Prius is one of the 50 Ugliest Cars of the Past 50 Years. Not a distinction any owner wants their car to carry.
Take heart, Prius owners. There are a number of questionable vehicles on the list. For instance, the classically boxy Volvo 240 isn't ugly at all... it's purposeful and practical. Neither are the Lamborghini LM002, 2002 BMW 7 Series, Tata Nano or Toyota iQ deserving of inclusion on this unflattering list. Lastly, does anyone really think the DeLorean is that unattractive? Unabashedly '80s? Sure. Ugly? Nah.
[Source: BusinessWeek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Throwback 12:13PM (11/04/2009)
I would not call the 2nd gen Prius ugly, the interior however is very unattractive.
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anderlan 12:17PM (11/04/2009)
Poetically, the Hummer is on the list, too.
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Dave 12:26PM (11/04/2009)
I'd call it boring, not ugly.
The 2010 is venturing closer to ugly, though. Still not in the top 50.
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B.Trig 12:31PM (11/04/2009)
I don't find any of the cars mentioned here ugly, but of course it's all so subjective.
Also, presumably business people find office space generally pleasant enough and that's (to me) just as ugly as ugly can get! So I wouldn't ask a business geek's opinion anyway when it comes to aesthetics. :)
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Tim 12:39PM (11/04/2009)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
That's what the apiarist said too... ; )
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Richard 1:05PM (11/04/2009)
It's not ugly, but pretty, absolutely not. I would like to see what the Prius would look like as a sedan. Autoblog, you guys have some fancy software, why not put something together?
By the way beauty is not in the eye of the behold, most of it is empirical.
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wincros 1:26PM (11/04/2009)
Bad list. I might agree on about a quarter of them. About half are just ordinary cars for their period. Not the ugliest ever. They had plenty of company from cars not on this list. The last quarter are interesting or attractive designs. Makes me think that the selection is by someone who does not like or understand automobile design.
You have a chance at great design when the car is cheap and aimed at adventurous young customers who do not have to be comfortable all the time or aimed at wealthy people who know they are paying a lot of money for the best design and performance. Good design for cars in the middle is doomed to appeal to people who are conservative and do not want to stand out except to look a little more successful than their neighbor. Porsche 911s and Ferraris and Tesla designs stand out at the top and there is lots that is interesting in the economy car class including the Tata Nano. Not much in between with the exception of a few VWs and a couple of Mercedes models.
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nrb 1:38PM (11/04/2009)
List written by a doof with some kind of personal agenda.
Some of the cars on the list are downright fugly. Most are just average. Some are pretty darned good looking.
BusinessWeek automotive reporting makes the rest of automotive reporting look good.
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William 2:00PM (11/04/2009)
Yeah, Prius ugly.
Ferrari California, pretty.
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planetautomatic 2:58PM (11/04/2009)
The TATA Nano might not look like a Ferrari, but its definitely an ugly car. its different and dare I say , pretty boldly different. This car bashing lists that have been doing the rounds lately seem to be Competitive ugliness and Nationalism at its worst. Trade wars by proxy , id say. It definitely smells of politics , and that stinks!
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musubk 2:59PM (11/04/2009)
The DeLorean? Seriously?
I think the author might be including 'cars which I don't have the gall to drive because I have to conform' as part of 'ugly'.
Prius itself is more bland than anything.
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Sean C 4:48PM (11/04/2009)
I fully agree with:
VW Thing
AMC Gremlin
Sebring-Vanguard CitiCar
AMC Pacer (FAR worse than the Gremlin IMHO)
Subaru Brat (and what's with the little back seat?)
Corbin Sparrow
PT Cruiser
Pontiac Aztec
Chevrolet SSR
Bricklin SV1
Tata Nano (yes, they're ugly)
Dont deserve to be on the list (remember the 50 ugliest cars of the last 50 years)
El Camino
Volvo 240 (c'mon! It may not be beautiful but it's not top 50 material)
Yugo (not beautiful, but too cute to be ugly)
DeLorean DMC-12 (it walks the line between cool and 'WTF!'.)
Cadillac Cimarron (just generic and dated but not ugly)
Toyota Van (admittedly ugly, but not top 50)
RAV4 (c'mon, top 50?)
Prius (not beautiful, but no way is this top 50. Its just an easy target)
VW New Beatle (I happen to like these. The ORIGINAL on the other hand could possibly have made the list but they were still kinda cute)
Ferrari Enzo (these are actually kinda cool looking. Reminds me of Speed Racer)
Should have made the list:
Dodge Magnum Wagon
AMC Eagle (who was designing these guys cars?)
Citroën 2CV (beetle-esque, but not a beetle)
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Dave B 10:51PM (11/04/2009)
It looks like 50 mpg to me......
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MikeInNC 8:42AM (11/05/2009)
People people...it's ugly. Not to say it's not a great car, useful fuel efficient and low impact however nothing but ugly on the outside. Current model doesn't belong on the list but the one above...definitely.
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