A robust, low-cost family and cargo vehicle built on a ladder frame, engineered specifically for the rough road conditions and heavy payloads of Southeast Asian markets. They combine the seating capacity of a minivan with the ground clearance and durability of a light truck.
Heard on the job
Toyota sold millions of that Asian utility vehicle chassis because it can handle dirt roads fully loaded with ten passengers.
Also heard as
- AUV
Related terms
CUV
The abbreviation CUV stands for crossover utility vehicle, a passenger car built with SUV styling.
Platform
The shared underlying architecture and mechanical components used across multiple vehicle models.
Unibody
A unibody is a vehicle construction method where the floor pan and body shell are welded into a single load-bearing structure.