Up Close: Toyota A-BAT Hybrid Pickup Concept

The very first new car I ever owned was a 1985 Toyota pickup. As a college student, I loved it. It offered freedom, a sense of adventure and it was completely stripped. No radio, no rear bumper, a bench seat, manual window cranks, you name it.

Now, more than 20 years later, small pickups like that one are an endangered species, but Toyota's A-BAT concept takes trucks like the Honda Ridgeline and Chevy Avalanche and boils them down to something more the size of my first truck.

Maybe most important to today's young drivers, the A-BAT is a hybrid, keeping trips to the gas station few and far between.

The A-Bat seats up to four — double what my truck held — and offers suicide doors for easier access. The concept has a funky yellow interior that I'd hate but my teenage son would love.

Other features he'd love include a retractable navigation system, Wi-Fi internet access and solar panels on the dash to power the nav and some other systems.

Basically, this truck looks like a Ridgeline that Godzilla stepped on, but I'd be happy to give it a try and bring back those driving days of my youth.

More info and photos of the Toyota A-Bat Concept

Comments

[Infosaur]

Maybe I'm old, but 4-doors and cool car for teens STILL does not compute.

But what do I know, when I was 16 I couldn't afford whatever was "Hot" and "youthfull" back then. I made do with a 10 year old Jeep.

And MY first car was 20 year old Buick Coupe, willed to me by my Grandma. (Which was gorgeous BTW but wasn't running by the time I got my licence) So I bought a 10 year old Cougar.

Hey wait,,, none of these things are 4 door SUVS! How odd?

[Troy in Ft Walton Beach]

I agree. 2 door was the way to go during my youth. I do however see one reason why this truck will be offered in quadcab form. Because it will appeal to a wider audience. First off, the truck is cool, unique in it's own way. It efficient and you can carry more than one passenger with you. In short, it's more versatile. versatile is key in today's vehicles. Offering a 2 door and 4 door would drive up cost. Make a single version and you keep costs and production time down.

[deeks]

Beats the heck out of the Chevy so called pickup hybrid that gets 18mpg. What are they thinking?