Towing without a hitch? With today’s leaps in technology, it’s not science fiction. The concept is real, and Toyota is once again leading the way. 

Hitch ball attachments, safety chain connections and vehicle weight calculations have been reimagined and with Toyota’s new hitchless towing innovation — which is precisely what it sounds like — the limitations of towing may one day be a thing of the past.    

How does towing without a hitch work? “It basically allows two vehicles to play follow the leader,” said Paul Fanson, senior manager of Toyota Motor North America Research & Design’s (TMNA R&D) Advanced Product Planning Office. “So the lead vehicle would be driven by a human. The follow vehicle would naturally follow behind as a trailer would, but there would be no physical connection.” 

That’s right — no physical connection.  

Toyota’s revolutionary hitchless towing system is in the initial test phase, with test runs in highway and urban traffic settings on the horizon. So, stay tuned, because a bold new era of untethered mobility is just up ahead.    

Want to learn more about how TMNA R&D is innovating to stay ahead of the industry with its groundbreaking hitchless towing technology? Take a closer look in the video above.