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Video: Toyota A-BAT Concept

01:27 min
By Cars.com Editors
May 13, 2009

About the video

From the 2008 Detroit auto show, Cars.com's Dave Thomas takes a look at the Toyota A-BAT concept.

Transcript

(upbeat music) I am Dave Thomas with cars.com. We're here at the Detroit Auto Show with a Toyota A-BAT concept. Now this is a compact pickup truck, which is also a hybrid. It's a really great idea. It's compact. It's about the same size as a RAV4.
Now because it's a compact pickup the bed is only four feet long, but you can lower the mid gate here and it will extend to six feet. Lower the tailgate then it's eight feet. And the cool thing about this mid gate it's attached to the rear seat, so it folds down in one step. Like a lot of trucks we're seeing today, the A-BAT's got some built-in storage compartments in the bed. It also has a nifty drawer underneath the bed that comes out, even with the tailgate up where the bumper should be. I have some of the most important things about this concept is, it is a hybrid and it's gonna be used in the next generation of hybrid powertrain based on what the Prius runs on. So it's technology that Toyota already has, in a compact truck, that they don't really have right now. Another green feature in the A-BAT are solar panels built into the dashboard. Just think of your own car. When the sun's beating down on your dashboard, that's just wasted energy here. Here the solar panels convert that into electricity to run the stereo and other electricals. We're not quite sure the chances of production for the A-BAT here, but as a compact pickup truck, it might not make it. As a hybrid compact pickup truck, it just might. I sure wouldn't mind driving went home myself. <v Narrator>For additional information on this car or any other go to cars.com and our blog Kicking Tires.