Toyota’s Tiny Truck of Tomorrow Is a Modular, Packable Pickup You Can Have Your Way
The automaker has introduced a next-generation vehicle design that will give users the freedom to build their 4×4 the way they want.
As much as I love watching reruns. Best Gear And Grand TourI must admit that sometimes the jokes can be a little too stupid; others, the script may be a little too transparent.
Yet during their time hosting both of these shows, Clarkson, Hammond and May have taken part in many incredibly ambitious challenges in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth.
One that particularly stands out Mongolia Specialbecause the trio were given the task of building a car from a kit that was delivered to the most remote parts of Asia. As ambitious as it sounds in theory, it is now much more than an absurd piece made for fun.
Toyota’s IMV Origin concept is little more than a simple cabin. – Credit: Toyota
That’s because, incidentally, this is more or less the kind of vehicle that Toyota had in mind with its latest model. van concept.
Package flat raw cabin
This is called ‘IMV Origin’ and It debuted at the Japan Mobility Show this week as part of Toyota’s “mobility for all” initiative.
If the pickup seems a little unfinished, that’s because it should be. The Japanese automaker envisions the IMV Origin as a vehicle for people living in rural villages and remote locations. The intention is to leave the factory partially assembled, allowing local people to finish the job.
Origin doesn’t have many features, but that’s because it’s a tool about deals. – Credit: Toyota
According to Toyota, the decision to send the truck incomplete will have two main benefits.
For starters, doing this would mean assembly work for the local workforce. Toyota designed the IMV Origin to require only basic vehicles to be made functional.
Moreover, by leaving the truck unfinished with a modular design, Toyota sees the vehicle as a blank canvas that can be customized to the best use case.
Toyota sees this concept as a way to empower the local workforce with assembly work while also allowing users to design the truck to their own needs. – Credit: Toyota
Therefore, whether required to transport people or cargo, the pickup can provide a service best suited to local needs.
Of course, as an automaker, Toyota couldn’t help but point out that “it was frustrating not being able to finish this vehicle.” Still, the concept of “intentional omission” was necessary for the Origin to be a car “for you.”
Viewed in profile, it looks very similar to other simple mini trucks. – Credit: Toyota
Not Toyota’s first IMV
If you’re a fan of small trucks, you’ll know that this isn’t Toyota’s first Innovative International Multi-Purpose Vehicle (IMV). Japanese automobile manufacturer Announced the program in 2002and later expanded it to include everything from pickups to minivans.
Toyota designed the concept so that basic tools could be used for assembly. – Credit: Toyota
Recently Toyota introduced: IMV 0 concept We later launched the truck as a production pickup under the Hilux Champ label at the 2023 Japan Mobility Expo.
Between its affordable starting price (equivalent to around $10,000) and the modular design that facilitates easy customization, the ASEAN market offering previewed many of the features that have since emerged. Slate’s EV pickup very popular.
The IMV 0 concept has been showcased with everything from a performance pickup to a stranded lander. – Credit: Toyota
So, given the many different approaches that have emerged based on the IMV 0 concept (from trolley truck to road-going), Toyota is probably not yet finished demonstrating the potential of the new IMV Origin.
Moreover, considering that IMV 0 was eventually implemented as a production offering like this: Hilux ChampionIt’s not too far-fetched to imagine something like this leaping into reality. Ultimately, it’s not up to Toyota to complete the concept.
Of course, as a production model, the Hilux Champ does a lot of work. – Credit: Toyota
However, I stated that I would not hold out hope for such a landing in the United States any time soon. Toyota has kept its previous IMV offerings exclusive to countries like Indonesia and Thailand, and for good reason; Something this small could be little more than a speed bump on American roads.
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