Scion Forums
04-13-2009, 10:51 PM
Filed under: Concept Cars (http://www.autoblog.com/category/conceptcars/), New York Auto Show (http://www.autoblog.com/category/new-york-auto-show/), Hybrids/Alternative (http://www.autoblog.com/category/hybrids/), Trucks/Pickups (http://www.autoblog.com/category/trucks/), Scion (http://www.autoblog.com/category/scion/), Toyota (http://www.autoblog.com/category/toyota/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/13_abat_concept-580op.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/554987/)
Toyota A-BAT Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales USA's vice president and general manager, told our man Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com that the Toyota A-BAT (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ToyotaABAT/) is on indefinite hold. According to Carter, "We have a lot of top priorities right now, and A-BAT isn't one of them."
Although news of the A-BAT's imminent arrival (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/22/toyota-considering-building-a-bat-truck-cancels-small-diesel/) was circulating as early as February (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/scion-tc-replacement-on-the-way-4th-scion-could-be-anything/), Toyota's decision to put the project on hold doesn't come as a surprise. With auto sales down overall - and pick-ups being hit particularly hard in the last year - the business case for a compact, hybrid truck would be hard to justify.
Originally, it was assumed the A-BAT (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept-revealed-after-dark/) would be sold as a Scion, but with the "youth" brand's renewed focus on smaller vehicles (ala the Scion iQ concept (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/08/new-york-2009-the-scion-iq-goes-big-wheels/) that debuted at the New York Auto Show (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/NewYorkAutoShow/)), a pick-up would be in stark contrast to the rest of the line-up.
"The market has changed dramatically over the last 12 months." Carter told Pickuptrucks.com, "We always keep reprioritizing - under good economic or recessionary times - what our planning is. [For now, the A-BAT is] on the shelf."
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/55_abat_concept-1a_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566979/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/39_abat_concepta_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566941/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/58_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566939/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/59_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566938/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/60_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566936/)
[Source: Pickuptrucks (http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/04/toyota-abat-to-remain-a-concept.html)]Toyota A-BAT will remain a concept... for now (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1515677/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/13_abat_concept-580op.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/554987/)
Toyota A-BAT Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales USA's vice president and general manager, told our man Mike Levine from PickupTrucks.com that the Toyota A-BAT (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ToyotaABAT/) is on indefinite hold. According to Carter, "We have a lot of top priorities right now, and A-BAT isn't one of them."
Although news of the A-BAT's imminent arrival (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/22/toyota-considering-building-a-bat-truck-cancels-small-diesel/) was circulating as early as February (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/02/scion-tc-replacement-on-the-way-4th-scion-could-be-anything/), Toyota's decision to put the project on hold doesn't come as a surprise. With auto sales down overall - and pick-ups being hit particularly hard in the last year - the business case for a compact, hybrid truck would be hard to justify.
Originally, it was assumed the A-BAT (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept-revealed-after-dark/) would be sold as a Scion, but with the "youth" brand's renewed focus on smaller vehicles (ala the Scion iQ concept (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/08/new-york-2009-the-scion-iq-goes-big-wheels/) that debuted at the New York Auto Show (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/NewYorkAutoShow/)), a pick-up would be in stark contrast to the rest of the line-up.
"The market has changed dramatically over the last 12 months." Carter told Pickuptrucks.com, "We always keep reprioritizing - under good economic or recessionary times - what our planning is. [For now, the A-BAT is] on the shelf."
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/)
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/55_abat_concept-1a_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566979/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/39_abat_concepta_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566941/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/58_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566939/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/59_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566938/)http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/01/60_abat_concept_thumbnail.jpg (http://www.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2008-toyota-a-bat-concept/566936/)
[Source: Pickuptrucks (http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/04/toyota-abat-to-remain-a-concept.html)]Toyota A-BAT will remain a concept... for now (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/) originally appeared on Autoblog (http://www.autoblog.com) on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds (http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).
Permalink (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/) | Email this (http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1515677/) | Comments (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/#comments)
More... (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/toyota-a-bat-will-remain-a-concept-for-now/)