American Volkswagen executives nonetheless desire a pickup truck for the U.S. market, they usually do not appear content material to let the section go unanswered.
On Tuesday, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America Pablo Di Si informed Motor Authority the automaker will look once more on the pickup truck section for America.
The timeline for a Volkswagen pickup to reach in sellers is not clear, however the government stated the present plan is to deliver a proposal to the board in Germany within the third quarter of 2023.
Ought to a pickup truck be permitted it will be developed in America for America. Di Si famous that automobiles inbuilt America for America are extra profitable as proven by the Atlas crossover SUV, which was designed and developed in America, and is inbuilt Chattanooga, Tennessee.
VW’s potential pickup would leverage present platforms within the automaker’s portfolio, and can be electrified. Anticipate it to be a unibody car, probably based mostly on the Atlas’ platform.
The Atlas, which was launched for the 2018 mannequin 12 months and refreshed for 2021, will debut an up to date search for 2024 on the 2023 Chicago Auto Present. A next-generation Atlas might be years away.
Volkswagen’s North American Chief Gross sales and Advertising Officer Andrew Savvas informed MA the next-generation Atlas might be electrified. Di Si famous that it might have a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, however a plug-in hybrid mannequin makes extra of an influence. “It isn’t strategically smart to enter a number of instructions for hybrids,” Di Si stated.
Volkswagen revealed a Tanoak pickup truck idea based mostly on the Atlas on the 2018 New York auto present. On the time executives stated the idea was not supposed for manufacturing and was meant to gauge shopper curiosity.