Toyota bets each way with hybrid pick-up

Toyota plans to hedge its bets with this, one of two concepts the carmaking juggernaut will unveil at the imminent Detroit motor show.

Dubbed the A-BAT, the futuristic looking pick-up has clearly been designed with the SUV-hungry US market in mind, but it makes some concessions to the environment with its eco-friendly Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, which mates a four-cylinder petrol engine with a supplementary electric motor -- a la Prius.

Although billed as a concept for now, there is the possibility the A-BAT will spawn a production derivative if the public warms to its offbeat proportions.

According to the authoritative US journal Autonews, the target market would be "Suburbanites who haul themselves to work in the city, and haul stuff home from the hardware store."

As such, the A-BAT is a mix-and-match concept that ostensibly offers a high level of utility without the gargantuan dimensions and gas-guzzling propensity of the larger Tacoma pick-up, itself a popular vehicle in the US.

Toyota claims that with the tailgate down, the A-BAT can accommodate a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood. For added storage, there are lockable drawers in the walls of the truck bed and a large drawer that slides out from underneath the truck bed.

Dimensionally, the A-BAT concept pickup is about 685mm shorter than an extended cab Tacoma and 230mm shorter than the regular cab model. What's more, the A-BAT's tapered roofline and swept-back headlights distinguish it as a more car-like proposition than the overtly truck-ish Tacoma.

Penned by Toyota's Calty studio in California, the A-BAT features a thick C-pillar and miniscule front and rear overhangs. Calty creative director Matt Sterling said in a statement that the A-BAT's shape was inspired by that of the hot-selling Prius.

Its maker hasn't revealed too much about the concept's nitty gritty as far as technical specs are concerned, but design elements such as the sliding roof panel and suicide-door arrangement (as per the FJ Cruiser) are clearly evident.

Unlike Toyota's other pick-ups, the A-BAT is built on a monocoque chassis, but what's not clear is whether the engine sits transversely or longitudinally, and whether it drives the front wheels, rear wheels or all four.

The A-BAT seats four, but the rear pews can fold down, or slide into a storage compartment to create extra cargo room. Interestingly, the top surface of the instrument panel is lined with solar power cells to generate electricity for the concept's portable navigation system.

Toyota A-BAT Fast Facts
Powertrain: Hybrid Synergy Drive (four-cylinder engine plus electric motor)
Overall length: 4605mm
Overall width: 1890mm
Overall height: 1626mm
Wheelbase: 2850mm
Bed length: 1219mm