Earlier this year, Toyota showed a new small pickup truck as a concept car dubbed the A-Bat. That Detroit auto show concept seems to be headed for production, as word has it that Toyota is looking for partsmakers to help it figure out how much it could charge for such a truck.If you missed it last January, the 2008 Toyota A-BAT is more like a Ranchero or El Camino than it is an F-150 or Silverado - and its similarities to its passenger car counterpart extend well beneath the skin.
Outside, the 2008 Toyota A-BAT is more like its cousin, the Prius, with a short front end and sweeping lines suggesting that it is indeed a 21st-century vehicle. Underneath, the A-BAT shares the Prius' Hybrid Synergy Drive System and a "traditional ladder frame," unibody construction, a passenger-car type suspension and overall reduced dimensions - making for handling that is very sedan-like.
Inside and even atop the four-passenger cab, high-tech goodies abound - including solar panels on the roof for running the nav system, and an AC/DC portable power pack into which one can plug everything from a laptop computer to power tools (handymen, take note).
The only drawback to the 2008 Toyota A-BAT's design is its undersized bed - a mere four feet in length. Although there is a "pass-through" that extends the bed two feet into the cab and fold-down seats as well as a bed floor that slides out for additional length and other storage options, it remains to be seen if the 2008 Toyota A-BAT can really be as functional as the Tacoma.
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