Sales numbers on hideous cars (eg. Pontiac Aztec) of the past say otherwise. There is absolutely some correlation between how fashionable a car is and how well it sells.

Yet the Prius sold by the droves despite its “obvious hideousness” declared by reviewers at the time of its release.

The hideousness of the Prius was on purpose: it was visibly signaling that the owner was someone motivated by environmental concerns.