Toyota Hybrid Pickup Is Still Possible
The recently concluded State Fair of Texas proved to be the perfect venue to introduce and possibly even tease the future of pickup trucks. Japanese automaker Toyota is looking to star in the perfect headline by, as of today, studying the possibility of making a hybrid pickup.
Right now, what we’re sure of is what Ed Laukes, the group’s vice president of marketing, told Automotive News that the new Toyota Tacoma will feature upgraded powertrains. That will be part of the superb performance and marketability of the incoming Tacoma.
But when asked about the possibility of hybrid pickup trucks, Laukes was also quick to answer: there was no reason why hybrid pickup trucks shouldn’t be considered. Remember, there is also the need to meet CAFE standards. CAFE stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy and refers to the regulations in the United States that aims to improve average fuel economy of cars and light trucks.
Even the president of Toyota Canada believes that there is room for hybrid pickup trucks in the future. Earlier this year, Larry Hutchinson said that “we’ve looked at it seriously” even if there’s little to no demand for hybrid trucks today.
Although the statements came from top Toyota officials, these shouldn’t ring true unless a concept is pushed through. Come to think of it, that may even remain as a mere concept since there is a long road between an idea and the presence of the truck in an actual showroom.
And yet, we want to believe that this particular gossip is true for the simple reason that hybrid pickup news has a prolonged stay in the rumor mill. This is one speculation that just won’t go away. You can’t blame people for being pessimistic about this. There is a history of disappointments that started with the Toyota A-BAT concept hybrid pickup in 2008 and the scrapped collaboration with Ford in 2011.
Still, back then, the two biggest automakers in the industry promised to bring into fruition a hybrid pickup truck. Toyota, at least, seems to have confirmed that studies are being made already.