2020 Toyota Highlander teased as 3D art, debuts at New York Auto Show

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There's an all-new Toyota Highlander on the way. And while we won't see the final version until April 17, at the New York Auto Show, Toyota on Tuesday previewed the new SUV in a rather unconventional manner.

The 2020 Highlander's teaser campaign uses what Toyota calls "augmented reality" artwork that consists of 200 individual hand-painted pieces. They're suspended together so that from the correct angle, the Highlander's shape is visible. From other angles, it's just a jumbled mess of shapes. The artwork was created by Michael Murphy over two months. You can get a better impression of what the installation looks like in the video below.

The teaser shows that the 2020 Toyota Highlander will have a sleeker profile than today's model, with a beltline that rises upward towards the rear of the vehicle and a roofline that's just a little more sloped than the existing SUV. We can probably expect the Highlander to carry over some of the modern, rugged design cues previously seen on the newest Toyota RAV4.

The current generation of the Toyota Highlander was also introduced at the New York Auto Show, in 2013 as a 2014 model. Then at the 2016 New York show, Toyota showed off the refreshed 2017 Highlander. With the SUV now 6 years old, it's no surprise Toyota has a new model in the works, especially given that there's fresh competition in the three-row space. The new Highlander will take on newcomers such as the 2020 Ford Explorer and Subaru Ascent, for instance.

In the lead-up to the Highlander's reveal, Toyota will project videos of the 3D art installation on buildings around New York. Check back with Roadshow on April 17 for full details and photos of the new SUV.