Toyota A-BAT Concept Vehicle
Toyota will be showing off its new A-BAT Concept Vehicle at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on Monday January 14, 2008. It’s a small compact truck hybrid truck that will use Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive® technology (4 cylinder gasoline hybrid) to deliver better fuel economy. It even has photovoltaic panels on the roof for… not sure what for… concept car kicks I guess.
From the press release it sounds a lot like Toyota looked to the Honda Ridgeline for inspiration. The A-BAT is said to have car-like handling, unibody construction, independent suspension (we think), and 19 inch rims.
The four foot truck bed is said to have more flexibility than a normal pickup with a two foot high (long) tail gate and a pass-through gate into the cab. The width of the bed can accommodate a 4X8 sheet of plywood. At first this truck might sound more suited for a weekend do-it-yourselfer than a contractor’s pickup but it also comes with AC and DC outlets for powering tools and other electronic devices. The battery pack that comes with the hybrid technology helps out with this.
No word on the exact MPG, price, availability, or even if this concept vehicle will make it to market. It looks pretty cool and far along in development so our bet is we’ll be seeing something like this in the Toyota showrooms in the near future. The Honda Ridgeline has definitely paved the way in this market segment and by adding a few more novel ideas and better fuel economy Toyota will probably have a winner. Comments?
