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Toyota A-BAT will remain a concept... for now

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Hybrid, Truck, Scion, Toyota

Toyota A-BAT Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales USA's vice president and general manager, told our man Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com that the Toyota A-BAT is on indefinite hold. According to Carter, "We have a lot of top priorities right now, and A-BAT isn't one of them."

Although news of the A-BAT's imminent arrival was circulating as early as February, Toyota's decision to put the project on hold doesn't come as a surprise. With auto sales down overall - and pick-ups being hit particularly hard in the last year - the business case for a compact, hybrid truck would be hard to justify.

Originally, it was assumed the A-BAT would be sold as a Scion, but with the "youth" brand's renewed focus on smaller vehicles (ala the Scion iQ concept that debuted at the New York Auto Show), a pick-up would be in stark contrast to the rest of the line-up.

"The market has changed dramatically over the last 12 months." Carter told Pickuptrucks.com, "We always keep reprioritizing - under good economic or recessionary times - what our planning is. [For now, the A-BAT is] on the shelf."

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

[Source: Pickuptrucks]

Toyota A-BAT will remain a concept... for now originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Toyota Prius coupe in the works

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Truck, Green, Toyota

Even though Toyota has made it clear that a separate Prius brand isn't a sure thing, that doesn't mean that more body styles of the iconic fuel miser aren't on their way. The latest speculative Prius variant comes courtesy of MotorTrend, which has mocked up a rendering of what a Toyota Prius coupe could look like. Although the idea of a 2+2 hybrid with a lower roofline and some sporting pretenses might seem odd given the Prius' main claim to fame, Toyota doesn't want to be left out in the cold when the also-hybrid Honda CR-Z goes on sale within the next two years.

Predictably, the coupe would share the same drivetrain as its five-door stable-mate, consisting of a new 1.8-liter engine (300cc larger than the current Prius) while returning fuel economy on par or exceeding the outgoing model. The coupe would be lighter than the sedan, allowing the 2+2 to be both quicker and possibily more fuel-efficient.

MT also mentions that the production version of the Toyota A-BAT is still in limbo as the automaker determines under which brand it wants to sell the hybrid pickup. It was originally thought the A-BAT would be offered as a Scion, but Toyota's pledge to only offer one generation of each model in its "youth" brand and the automaker's need to bring its CAFE numbers in check might mean that the A-BAT will don a Toyota badge when (if?) it goes on sale after 2010.

[Source: MotorTrend]

Rumormill: Toyota Prius coupe in the works originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota considers building A-BAT truck, cancels small diesel

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:02:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Truck, Green, Toyota

Click above for more high-res images of the Toyota A-BAT Concept

Despite the fact that its full-sized truck competitors from Ford, General Motors and Dodge will all offer new small-displacement diesel engines within the next year or so, Toyota has reportedly canceled plans for a similar powertrain for its Tundra. Instead of dumping money into the stalled full-size market, the automaker has reportedly contacted key suppliers for quotes on systems for its radical A-BAT concept truck from the Detroit Auto Show. Powertrain choices for the trucklet would include a traditional four-cylinder option along with a hybrid drivetrain, possibly sourced from the Camry hybrid. If it went into production, the A-BAT would join the lonely Ford Ranger in the small pickup market and would use a uni-body platform in lieu of a full frame, which is standard fare on most other trucks. Then again, it may never be given the green-light for production at all.

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

[Sources: PickupTrucks.com, Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Toyota considers building A-BAT truck, cancels small diesel originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota seriously considering A-BAT: The Prius of pickups?

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:37:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Toyota

click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota A-BAT concept

We've harped on the fact that this market is ready for a small truck that splits the difference between full-sizers of today and compact pickups of yore. While many in the industry are skeptical about whether such a vehicle could be a sales success, Toyota is looking hard at the A-BAT concept, which debuted in Detroit as a vehicle that could slot in below the Tacoma.

Toyota execs are keeping a close eye on how the public responds to the hybrid trucklet while it makes the rounds of the national show circuit, and hopes that it garners the same amount of interest that the FJ Cruiser concept did, which was instrumental in bringing it to market.

While it's debatable that a hybrid truck sporting some of the high-tech features and unibody structure of the A-BAT is a viable product, the idea might be sound, and Toyota wants to be at the forefront of the small truck revolution if it does come to fruition.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept - Live Reveal

Toyota seriously considering A-BAT: The Prius of pickups? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pics Aplenty: Toyota reveals every angle of A-BAT hybrid pickup concept

John Neff — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Truck, Toyota

click above image for 61 high-res pics of the Toyota A-BAT hybrid pickup

Though you've already been shown a few images of the A-BAT hybrid pickup concept, Toyota felt that perhaps you haven't seen enough, and maybe more, say 61 new images, would help you decide if you like the truck's design or not. It was clear after reading your comments when the A-BAT was first unveiled (we quote: "Like a Ridgeline, but uglier with bigger blind spots.") that the design left something to be desired for many of you. You compared it to the Honda Ridgeline, which is fair, though the A-BAT is a highly stylized concept that contain only design elements that would one day see production. So we can look past the pug nose and hectar-wide pillars for now.

These new images give us our first glimpse at how the A-BAT concept's Chevy Avalance-esque midgate works. The rear wall of the bed is attached to the back of the second-row seats, so to open the midgate one just folds the back of the second row forward. We're not sure how production feasible this would be, since the second row seats don't look to too comfortable with such little padding, but GM has proven a midgate bed expander can be a popular option that's worth offering. The interior of the A-BAT, meanwhile, is said to be inspired by the design of mountain bikes and uses a lot of carbon fiber and aluminum trim.

We expect many of you to knock the A-BAT concept's design again in the comments, but click through the gallery first to make sure that the styling doesn't offer the viewer anything of interest. We think it does.

[Source: Toyota]

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

Continue reading Pics Aplenty: Toyota reveals every angle of A-BAT hybrid pickup concept

Pics Aplenty: Toyota reveals every angle of A-BAT hybrid pickup concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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