New Atlas Tanoak Pickup Concept Is VW’s Love Letter To America

VW’s surprise for the New York Auto Show was none other than the Atlas Tanoak Pickup truck concept.

The dual-cab, short-bed pickup is the first truck to be based on VW’s MQB platform and is basically a design study created to gauge the audience’s reactions.

The concept is powered by the company’s 276hp 3.6-liter V6 engine paired to an eight-speed automatic and the 4Motion all-wheel drive system. VW claims the Tanoak is capable of a 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds.

VW says that the Atlas Tanoak Pickup concept was named after a tree species that’s native to the Pacific Coast in the US and can grow up to 135 feet high, which is a nice way of pointing out the flexibility of the MQB architecture, as the concept is currently the biggest vehicle using these underpinnings.

How Big Is The Atlas Tanoak Exactly?

The Tanoak concept is 214.1 inches long, making it 15.8 inches longer than the Atlas SUV, placing it in the midsize pickup truck segment according to U.S. standards. Width is 79.9 inches, height is 72.6 inches while the wheelbase is 128.3 inches long -11 inches longer than the Atlas.

The Atlas Tanoak sits 9.8 inches above the ground for better off-road performance while the 20-inch wheels are wrapped in 275/55 tires. The cargo bed is 64.1 inches long and 57.1 wide (50.4 inches between the wheel wells) and can easily fit ATVs and dirt bikes with the tailgate down.

Looks like the Atlas, only better

The German carmaker says that despite the Tanoak being based on the Atlas SUV, the bodywork has been completely redesigned, especially from the B-pillar back. The more rugged treatment of the front end includes new headlights and DRLs, a raised engine hood, different bumper and a centrally mounted winch. The new grille gets an animated lighting display, with white light running over the two crossbars.

The handles on the rear doors are integrated into the C-pillars while the rear fenders are strongly flared for a properly dynamic look. The tailgate gets red LED strips on its upper and lower area, with the Atlas logo sitting in the middle, featuring animated lighting.

The interior sits five and has been heavily redesigned from the Atlas SUV. The instrument binnacle features the Digital Cockpit display and the infotainment system also gets a nice big touchscreen display but not as nice as the one in the new Touareg. Ambient Lighting is integrated into the instrument panel and the roofline console while the center console features the newly designed shifter grip of the eight-speed automatic transmission.

So, what do you think? Should VW build the Atlas Tanoak concept? Let us know in the comments below.