VW Says It Has Three Pickup Truck Options For The U.S.

Volkswagen has confirmed that it is investigating a pickup truck to launch in the United States but has yet to commit to a single strategy. Instead, the German car manufacturer is weighing up three different options for entering the crowded U.S. pickup market.

During a recent interview with Automotive News, Volkswagen Group of America chief executive Scott Keogh said that the first route the car manufacturer is considering exploring is a pickup truck with the underpinnings of the Ford Explorer and sold as a replacement to the Amarok currently for sale in various markets around the world.

Alternatively, VW is considering a midsize lifestyle pickup based around the Atlas crossover and similar in size and style to the Tanoak concept from last year’s New York Auto Show. Last but not least, VW may decide to build an A-segment unibody pickup like the new Tarok concept in Mexico and import it into the United States. The brand has already committed to selling the Tarok in South America.

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

VW will continue to analyze the pickup market in the United States before committing to what kind of model it wants to build. However, Keogh appears to be leaning towards the small Tarok.

The concept from the recent New York Auto Show came with two full rows of seating and included an intriguing drop wall and folding seats which meant the bed could be extended to more than 8 feet with the tailgate down. Keogh believes this innovative bed design could make the vehicle popular in the U.S.

“The positioning could be, when you extend the bed, in terms of what you can do with the second row, plus what you can do with the tailgate itself, you basically get the length of a B-segment pickup,” Keogh said. “So we kind of like this application where you have the everyday size of an A-segment in terms of parking and driveability and fuel economy — all those types of things — and for the 4 or 5 percent of the time that you engage it in a lifestyle, smart packaging to bring to the vehicle.”

Making the Tarok particularly appealing for VW is the fact that it is based on the firm’s MQB platform, meaning the company has a plethora of different engines to choose from to power the vehicle.

According to Keogh, “we’ve got to see what the market says” before VW decides either way.