Toyota’s RND Concept teaser has us as puzzled as we are curious

By Alexander Kalogianni January 21, 2015

Toyota RND Concept Teaser image — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Toyota’s got something cooking that has us properly curious. The automaker sent out a release announcing a “sneak preview” of its RND Concept. This peek is high on the “sneak” part as this super vague teaser image is the least intriguing part of this announcement.

First off, the RND Concept, whatever it is, isn’t being revealed at any of the major upcoming auto shows. Instead, the RND will be revealed in the UK on the 26th of January. Furthermore, the teaser image is meant to hint at a design that’s “a radical shift in direction for Toyota.”

The only other clue of what it could possibly be is that the RND will take the “fun-to-drive” qualities of Toyota’s cars to a higher level (isn’t that called Lexus?), so it’s presumably something slightly sporty.

Matt Harrison, President of Toyota GB — President of Toyota GB Matt Harrison and the Toyota FCV Image used with permission by copyright holder

We thought the short heads-up to the announcement was weird until that was sidelined by the fact that the RND Concept will be in its production-ready form. “Manufacturing and product supply have been secured,” states the announcement, as well as stating that the already-fixed pricing is at a level that will make it accessible to a wide market.

Matt Harrison, President of Toyota GB added only one equally cryptic quote saying: “Full details of the RND Concept will be announced next week, but ahead of the official unveiling I can say that this is something we are proud of and that will make a valuable contribution to the world we live in.”

So a mystery Toyota that’s sporty, revolutionary in design, affordably priced, and ready to immediately go into production that’s not being announced at an auto show?

Toyota, you’ve certainly got our attention.

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Alexander Kalogianni

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…

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