Yet another onslaught of the Toyota Prius lineup. We’ve seen Prius in almost every platform, from coupe to station wagon. And now a truck version? Word has it that Toyota is adding a pickup truck version to its Prius lineup, but will it have enough power to haul like a truck?
If such an endeavor is real, then we would have some kind of a hybrid pickup. A possibility of reviving the Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck (A-BAT) hybrid pickup concept that was debuted at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show.
“Prius means high mpg, low environment impact,” said Carter, adding that a pickup truck could join the family “possibly, if it meets the criteria. It’s not off the table, but nothing is decided at this point.”
Toyota is exploring the ideal to make trucks more fuel efficient, which the A-BAT concept uses a hybrid drivetrain system and unibody construction to provide an aerodynamic, compact shape.
Toyota had paused the ideal of making a new truck due to the instability of the truck market from two years ago, and now it is opening the idea again.
“The pickup truck has been very volatile over the past few years,” Carter said. “We’re trying to understand what pickup truck consumers are going to want in the future. Right now with the Tacoma in the compact truck market, we have nearly a 45 percent market share. The consumer says for that truck market that they still want a rugged body-on-frame.”
“We’re open and studying it,” Carter said.
