Here’s what we know about the Yamaha Cross Hub Concept which debuted at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show… very little. We know it’s a unibody, small pickup with an unusual seating arrangement for four in a diamond pattern. Unlike other small pickup trucks, even car-based ones, this vehicle has three “front” seats and one seat in the rear. Sure, other king-cab trucks have that setup, but the Yamaha Cross Hub Concept pickup uses the center front seat as the driver’s seat.
Yep, similar to the McLaren F1 super car, the driver sits in the middle for great weight distribution and race car feel. That means, the passengers sit to the right and left of the driver – albeit slightly back as these images show. It appears that the seats can slide and fold giving the interior maximum utility. The seat arrangement also gives the bed more space than you might think: enough to hold other Yamaha products (motorcycles).
Yamaha has a wide selection of sporty (e.g. YXZ) and utility (e.g. Wolverine and Viking) side-by-sides. Yamaha’s existing motorcycle and side-by-side dealership network could make sales of such a pickup truck feasible, but there is no official word on this yet.
There is no information currently available about the power-plant, capacities, production possibilities or anything other than the regular PR jargon.
Here’s Yamaha’s official quote: “As a manufacturer of a diverse range of products, Yamaha knows the potential and possibilities for fun through mobility and is able to offer the joy of riding in all types of environments. This vehicle is aimed at connecting the “active” and “urban” in the lifestyles of Yamaha enthusiasts. It has a unique diamond-shaped seating layout for the cabin that enables a compact vehicle package but also the capacity to carry up to two motorcycles in the rear, making it a design concept model that takes occupants straight into the world of Yamaha recreation.”
While it is a bit of a polarizing design on the outside, no one can argue about the utilitarian ability within. It’s easy to speculate that this vehicle could have a small four or three-cylinder engine that powers the front wheels and, perhaps the rear ones as well.
With so little information presented, we are left scratching our heads.
Speaking of crossover pickup trucks, watch our Moab, UT adventure in the Honda Ridgeline and Honda Pioneer side-by-side.
