Aisin's Active Front Spats Adopted on Toyota RAV4 to Boost Fuel Efficiency
Aisin's Active Front Spats, which automatically deploy at high speed to reduce aerodynamic drag, have been adopted for the first time on Toyota's new RAV4 for North America.
- 2026
What Happened
Aisin and Toyota have jointly developed Active Front Spats that automatically deploy and retract based on vehicle speed. At standstill and low speeds, they retract to maintain ground clearance for off-road driving. At high speeds, they deploy via a proprietary link mechanism to reduce aerodynamic drag. This reduces fuel consumption and extends driving range, according to Aisin.
- Fixed in position, limited ground clearance, less effective at reducing drag.
- Automatically deploy at high speed, retract at low speed, maximizes airflow control.
Why this matters
This innovation improves fuel efficiency and driving range by optimizing airflow around the tires, while retracting at low speeds to preserve off-road capability—overcoming a key limitation of conventional fixed spats.
Terms in This Story
- Front spats
- Small aerodynamic panels installed on the lower front bumper ahead of the tires to manage airflow around the wheels.
- Aerodynamic drag
- The force that opposes a vehicle's forward motion due to air resistance; reducing it improves fuel efficiency.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.