Toyota still confused about hybrid pickup truck space
A-BAT hybrid pickup still a possibility, even as a Prius.
Do hybrid pickup trucks make sense?
With rising gas prices coupled with rising pickup truck sales, one might think hybrid pickup trucks would be a no-brainer. Yet, after a few years on the market GM’s hybrid trucks, such a the Chevy Silverado hybrid, simply are not selling.
Thus, Toyota isn’t ready to rush into the hybrid pickup truck space, although a number of options are on table.
“The pickup truck has been very volatile over the past few years,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of Toyota Division at Toyota Motor Sales USA. “We’re trying to understand what pickup truck consumers are going to want in the future.
Thus, the Toyota A-BAT pickup truck is still a possibility, but Carter isn’t sure that Toyota pickup fans want a unibody-based pickup, hybrid or not.
“Right now with the Tacoma in the compact truck market, we have nearly a 45% market share. The consumer says for that truck market that they still want a rugged body-on-frame,” said Carter.
And, if Toyota does produce a hybrid pickup, especially a car-based one, it could be worked into the Prius family of hybrid vehicles.
Consequently, don’t expect a Toyota hybrid pickup anytime soon. While a Toyota pickup truck seems inevitable based on Toyota’s long term hybrid plan, it just doesn’t seem the pickup truck market is yet ready for such a vehicle.
Bubba, I live in the city of Los Angeles, CA. So, I think that qualifies me as a “city” person, and a significant percent of people in my neighborhood own pickup trucks, and another significant percent own large SUVs.
i dont know ANY “city” people who own pickups. I think you all mean SUBURBAN people who own pickups and drive them to the grocery store.
yes yes yes – i love the concept shown here. make it 4 wheel or all wheel drive and i would buy it.
I loved those old El Caminos!
Toyota,
A nice start for a light truck…not a towing truck. Ditch the rear seats, they are useless, and install comfortable front seats with a pass through to the rear cabin.
Extend the bed 3 feet further into the cabin , ala the El Camino.
Select a small diesel or E-85 engine for recharging batteries.
Install a easily removable hard tonneau over the open bed for security and aerodynamics. Give us a 10 year warranty like Hyundai.
Make sure the bed is wide enopugh to hold 4×8 sheets.
Construct the wheel well areas with non-rust materials. Shorten the windshield length so it can be cleaned by a non-contortionist human.
Incorporate a plug-in recharge feature good for 50+miles or so. Install a non “chipmunk” looking grill. Get rid of the rear suicide doors…not needed! Install comfortable suspension with good ground clearance, keeping it FWD only for economy.
Price it under 22K and I’d be knocking on your door!
I loved those old Toyota trucks back in the ’80′s.
My dad was a Ford F-150 man as well – still is – and I also remember riding the tailgate, scraping my feet on the ground with a pile of wood in the back for a fire at the campsite. And I wasn’t even fully grown.
What the heck happened?
I saw an old Tundra and a new Tacoma parked side by side last week…….They were the same size!!!
When I was younger we use to sit “down” to ride on the tailgate of my father’s F-150.
If you look at the new F-150 commercial, they demonstrate the “step ladder and pole” that you must now use to climb into the bed.
We need to start moving this train in the other direction………
Larry,
I owned a small pickup back in the 80′s & 90′s. I could do all the things you described in my small pickup. Some time in the mid-90′s people got the idea that only a large pickup would get the job done…
But….
It’s the “city” pickup owners that get under my skin. They use their trucks to commute 30 miles to work, take the kids to school, and they “never” use the truck’s true capablilities.
A small pickup, maybe even a hybrid pickup, would be ideal for these guys.
and back at you Dach…I much appreciate your commentary ..which often I find thought-provoking and provocative and your tendency to never take offense even to somewhat crude and rude remarks at times (including some of my own).
thanks!
I’ll look for that link again, larry. regardless, you make great points. I don’t think either KP or me are arguing that pickup trucks don’t make a lot of sense for a lot of consumers given their choices. they make alotta since for both my brother and father, for instance. i’m the oddball, believe me. but we have to think 5, 10, even 15 years ahead.
the real point is that there are no choices, it’s the most profitable path. it’s largely a one size fits all scenario that’s built upon ever-more horsepower and size – that’s what resonates today, but I don’t think its sustainable tomorrow.
anyway, larry, i wanna thank you for your honest commentary. i’m not againt any one. i’m searching for solutions, and the truth is that there are no easy easy solutions – which is why i’d argue we need a big dream.
not you consumers – you advocates of more efficiency who do not understand people who own pickups.
I take trash and recycling to the landfill, I transport my lawn tractor and buy mulch and bulk topsoil…. save the delivery costs on large appliances as well as the disposal fee, etc, etc,.
When we donate to the church or charities – the stuff goes via pickup…
You city folks don’t live that kind of a life but out here in the hinterlands – where Ford F-150s rule – the “bat” pickup is a joke… basically a car with a pickup “look” but not the functionality…
Dach – you mentioned earlier that you “proved” that pickups consume more miles than cars.
Do you remember the link?
I’m pretty skeptical.
Every morning where I live – there are a gazillion guys doing the twice a day commute on the local interstate – 50 miles up and 50 miles back and I’ve traveled the country and most every urban area seems to “work” like this.
My pickup and many that I know that have pickups keep them for 10+ years and the miles on my 2003 are 30K.. and in my case, when I did do the twice-daily commute – I had a 4-door Protege that got 30mpg… which in a 4 person carpool essentially means 120 mpg … and I STILL had a pickup…. that I used on weekends guy.
I don’t think my case is the exception.
I’ll admit that if I stand over the interstate at rush hour that there are some pickups but there are far, far more SUVs and the like…
You mean US consumers should be more logical KP? LOL! Man, life would sure be a lot easier if people simply acted with a bit more logic. What are the chances of a major increase in consumer logic any time soon?
Nevertheless, I totally agree with your point.
I think there are a lot of guys that are just used to the utility of an open bed pickup, even if they only use the bed a few times per year. I think they could make a light-weight pickup, low-rider style. Maybe an air-adjustable-shock-lift-kit for the occasional rough dirt road. A lot of weekday commuters put on lots of highway miles, but have weekend rural chores.
They shouldn’t waste their time on the construction vehicle market. Those existing hybrids serve more as built-in generators than improving gas mileage.