Toyota Surprise: Small Hybrid SUV
Toyota's Secret Weapon
Source: Toyota & Toyota Patent Filing
Toyota Is Seeking Patent Protection For the New Vehicle
Toyota is scurrying to secure patent protection on a surprise, small, hybrid-electric SUV that it's developing. Experts say that the patent filing for the vehicle, which occurred in Australia, clearly depicts the Toyota small SU EV concept that was unveiled in December 2021, but with some very innovative new styling.
Production Ready Vehicle
Automotive experts believe that this is a production-ready design and quite a surprise weapon for Toyota. The design is virtually identical to the December 2021 concept with the exception of a new, lower bumper with an unusual, embedded honeycomb pattern on the vehicle's front end, along with integrated fog lights. Based on the patent filings, the vehicle appears to be a hybrid-electric SUV with an electrified powertrain and a combustion engine. It is likely to be built on Toyota's upcoming E3 architecture, which is likely to be used for the next generations of Prius and C-HR.
Differentiators For the New Vehicle
What differentiates the new Toyota is the very sporty styling, the distinctive, coupe-like rear of the vehicle and the upcoming PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) powertrain that it will likely be built on. This is an exciting new vehicle for Toyota that appears set to go into production. Toyota also has quite a few new EVs that it will be rolling out in upcoming months.
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