The Nagoya-based auto maker is already going after Western otaku with its bizarro take on virtual idol Miku Hatsune. Next up? Japanese otaku.
The result isn't nearly as awkward. To help promote its new plug-in Prius hybrid the Prius PHV, Toyota is teaming with the iconic sci-fi yarn Neon Genesis Evangelion.
At the junior high school in Hakone, Japan that inspired Evangelion's setting, Toyota showed off its upcoming plug-in version of the popular Prius. The Toyota PHV appears in anime Evangelion 2.0 as the official car of Nerv.
The car goes on sale in 2012 and can be charged through an electrical plug. It can also run as a hybrid.
Toyota made a promotional film with Eva character Misato Katsuragi and hopes that Evangelion can be used to explain the Prius PHV. Because if you can understand Eva, then you can no doubt understand this new type of hybrid?
The former middle school has been redubbed New Tokyo-3 No. 1 Middle School, and the iconic anime's classrooms have been recreated in full Evangelion style. An AR game with a Hakone driving map allows visitors to experience an augmented reality version of Evangelion.
Covering two Prius PHVs in Evangelion livery might make them cool. But slapping "Nerv" on an Estima will never make it cool. Ever.
Check out the gallery of pics, courtesy of Gigazine.
箱根町がヱヴァとコラボ、「第3新東京市立第壱中学校」の2年A組を再現, ヱヴァ×箱根×TOYOTAコラボでエヴァカラーやNERV仕様プリウスが登場 [Gigazine]