Toyota's secret small pickup truck plan revealed! U.S. Patent Office documents reveal hidden cargo bed extension

Toyota has previously been rumored to be developing a compact pickup truck based on the RAV4 to rival the Ford Maverick.

Toyota has previously reported that it will develop a compact pickup truck based on the RAV4 that will compete with the Ford Maverick. Although the new car has not yet been officially announced, the newly exposed patent documents have once again drawn attention to Toyota's small pickup truck plan. Toyota applied for a patent for a cargo bed extension device with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in February 2025. The clever design is that the entire mechanism can be hidden inside the tailgate.

According to the patent, this U-shaped frame is usually stored in the tailgate. After the tailgate is lowered, the frame can be rotated outward to form additional side supports and cross bars, further extending the available loading space of the cargo bucket. The relevant mechanisms are also equipped with rotating hinges, locking structures and built-in storage slots in the tailgate, which can be folded and retracted after use, without any extra parts protruding from the outside of the car.

Toyota applied for a patent for a cargo bed extension device with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in February 2025. The clever design is that the entire mechanism can be hidden inside the tailgate.

Compared with the external cargo bed extension rack common in ordinary pickup trucks, Toyota's design can increase the cargo capacity without increasing the body size, and is suitable for longer items such as wood, ladders, pipes, furniture, bicycles or canoes.

Toyota has not yet confirmed whether this patent will be applied to the rumored new compact pickup truck, but if a lifestyle pickup truck related to the RAV4 and targeted at the Ford Maverick is launched in the future, this hidden cargo bed design is expected to become a practical selling point.