Toyota Motor (TM) is at it again. On Jan. 13, the Japanese automaker took the wraps off another product that could have embattled American automakers scrambling to catch up. Its new concept truck, dubbed A-BAT, will made worldwide debut in the heart of the U.S. auto industry, at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. And the tough-looking pickup packs a hybrid gas-electric power supply similar to the Prius sedan, likely the most well-known green machine on American roads.

In November, 2007, General Motors (GM) introduced a hybrid version of its largest pickup, but no other automaker currently offers a modern, small truck with a gas-electric power plant. And none have Toyota’s environmental street cred to make such a vehicle a sales star.

Toyota’s truck division had a banner year in 2007, giving it significant momentum into ‘08. Now, the A-BAT shows a potential new small truck that could slot into the company’s truck lineup under the Tundra and midsize Tacoma, effectively creating a new segment. The small vehicle, which could be built on a car platform, looks big but is about the size of the company’s smallest sport-utility vehicle, the RAV4, and could prove popular with young buyers looking for a fuel-efficient but versatile vehicle.

Toyota designers gave BusinessWeek.com an exclusive peek at the pre-production concept model.

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