Yes, VW just confirmed a US market truck is coming.
Volkswagen North America CEO Pablo Di Si told CarBuzz at the 2023 Chicago Auto Show that the brand's upcoming pickup truck will not have a pure combustion engine, meaning it will either be a hybrid or plug-in hybrid when it goes on sale. When will that be, exactly? Di Si could not provide a precise date but did confirm that VW will "be looking at opportunities for pickups later this year, specifically in Q3 and Q4."
Is that an official confirmation on VW's part that it will one day soon offer a truck in North America? It sure sounds like it to us. To date, this is the highest level of confirmation about the automaker's North American truck plans. Overseas, the new Ford Ranger-based, second-generation Amorak was recently revealed but, like its predecessor, will not be brought stateside.
Di Si also told us that VW's eventual North American pickup truck will "not be combustion. Electrification can also be a plug-in hybrid but [the truck] cannot be 100% ICE."
A hybrid is also a possibility but when pressed further, Di Si predicts a plug-in would make the most sense. Why not go fully electric? Because that could potentially cannibalize things with the upcoming BEV-only Scout brand, a completely separate entity from Volkswagen North America.
Scott Keough, Di Si's immediate predecessor, has been tapped as Scout CEO. VW "will take advantage of existing and upcoming platforms" and they are still "playing around" regarding segment options. A truck is not, however, VW's biggest priority at the moment.
"We need to keep improving our SUVs," Di Si stressed. The refreshed 2024 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport are prime examples with a significantly upgraded interior featuring more premium materials throughout the cabin. "It feels like a different category of vehicle," he stressed.
Looking even further ahead, Di Si confirmed there will be a second-generation Atlas and it will not be a BEV. "My gut feeling is that it will be a plug-in as long as it's affordable to the consumer. Anything is possible. We have the technologies but money is limited. It doesn't make sense to go into every single technology and we must choose wisely."
The next-generation Taos and Tiguan might also offer plug-in powertrain options but, again, nothing has been decided just yet. Those vehicles will continue to be sold alongside the all-electric ID.4.
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