When most people think Toyota and hybrid, the Prius naturally comes to mind. Indeed, Japan's largest automaker has been capitalizing on the car's brand equity, expanding the range to include the A/V wagon and plug-in variants.
But cars aren't the only thing on Toyota's mind when it comes to hybrids. In fact, for it's next major thrust into the North American market, the company is literally thinking bigger when it comes to internal combustion/electric powered vehicles, in this case, commercial trucks.
In the last two decades, Japanese light and medium-duty trucks have made sizable inroads in the North American market and now Toyota, through it's heavy truck division Hino, is hoping that it can add hybrids to the mix.
In Japan, Hino has developed a diesel/electric version of it's light and middle weight Dutro cab-over-engine truck. Compared to it's diesel only predecessor, the latest Dutro is said to boast an improvement in fuel economy by around 50 percent, making it particularly attractive for fleet customers, especially those that use trucks for local delivery work in urban areas.
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Next US-Bound Toyota Hybrid Will be a Truck on AutoGuide.com
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