Toyota Sunnyvale

Do you remember your first car? Maybe it was even a Toyota. Think of all the freedom it brought you and the excitement you felt as you cruised down country lanes and city streets. Now, stop. Think about what it would have felt like not to experience that sense of wanderlust. That's what many teenagers and young adults are facing today- except that some of them actually choose technology over having an automobile. BBC News reports, "In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had obtained their first driving licen[s]e. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%.The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licen[s]es has also been in steady decline since its 1978 peak, when 11,989,000 had one. In 2010, it was 9,932,441, or 4.1% of American drivers."¹And, this isn't all; the more shocking news is that in a recent survey, 46 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds stated that they would choose having internet access over owning their own cars. Gone are the days of sex-symbol vehicles; it's now more popular to interact using social media and gaming platforms.

Is Toyota considering a Prius hybrid pickup truck to add to a new line-up of vehicles? Inquiring minds want to know, and all signs point to maybe.

Toyota has been planning an onslaught of Prius models for the next several years, including a "MPV" (the foreign equivalent of a minivan), a sporty coupe and now, apparently, a pickup truck. The Japanese auto maker hopes to combine their most aerodynamic vehicle with one of history's…