http://zerocars.blogspot.comCall it another victim of the economic downturn. When asked if the Toyota A-BAT concept was still under consideration for production, Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales USA vice president and general manager replied "We have a lot of top priorities right now, and A-BAT isn't one of them."
Toyota introduced the A-BAT (Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck) at the 2008 Detroit auto show as a potential design for a compact pickup in the U.S. It featured a unibody construction like the Honda Ridgeline and was powered by a hybrid powertrain. It was believed last year that Toyota had already green-lighted A-BAT production.No reason was sighted for Toyota's choice to pause the A-BAT program. It's likely the decision was made based on the falling demand for trucks as well as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules for light trucks that have yet to be determined. The news doesn't mean that we'll never see a production version on the concept truck. Carter said "I personally love the truck, it's styling, that it's a hybrid," he said. "To me, it had a real youthful feel to it. But there are no short-term announcements coming [about the A-BAT]."