Photo: Delicious_auto_works via Instagram
At some point, people said Ferrari would never build an SUV, and just look at what's happening now with the Purosangue. Not only was the public convinced, but the higher-ups in Maranello were willing to swear on the bible it would never happen and look at them now facing an eternity in the depths of hell.
Never say never is very sound advice. And yet you look at the possibility of Audi building a pickup truck and just think: "Nah, they're never going to do it." Then, somebody clears their throat and says: "But Mercedes-Benz has done it, so why not Audi as well?"
If you know that person, forget about them; if you're friends with them, cut off all connections - no point in wasting your time with that kind of person. Yes, both are competing German premium brands, but there is one huge difference between the two: Mercedes-Benz has a commercial vehicle division with the same name whereas Audi does not.
Being part of the Volkswagen Group, the Audi brand could be left untainted by the image of vans, trucks, or semis bearing the same badge. They have Volkswagen for the lighter stuff and MAN or Scania for the heavy pulling, which leaves Audi free to care for its plush leather interiors and such.
But if the trend goes in such a way that pickups become the new SUVs, then that never say never attitude will once again prove to be correct. It's not that long since Audi introduced the Q7, its first-ever SUV, and before Mercedes launched the ML-Class, those too were considered to be anything but premium. Things change.
Who knows what Audi's exterior design will look like by then, but if the trend switch were to come, say, tomorrow, then the Ingolstadt company would probably put something like this on the market. And you know what? It's not half bad, actually.
The huge grille that Audis have been flaunting for a while suits the pickup just fine, giving it the kind of aggressive front end you would want from this type of vehicle. We're not entirely sold on the LED strip underneath the headlights, but that's pretty much the only reservation we have over the entire design.
The rear isn't as exciting but, let's face it, there's only so much you can do with a tailgate and two vertical taillights. The exposed red chassis elements are actually a nice and unexpected touch that makes the rear stand out from the otherwise bland crowd.
The funny thing is that, if we're to remain in fantasy land, it wouldn't even take Audi too long to put something like this on the market. All it would have to do is pick up the phone, call Volkswagen and ask for the key to where they keep the Amarok platform. Then it's just a case of dressing it up, slotting a juicier engine under the hood, and asking a ton of money for it.
If you know that person, forget about them; if you're friends with them, cut off all connections - no point in wasting your time with that kind of person. Yes, both are competing German premium brands, but there is one huge difference between the two: Mercedes-Benz has a commercial vehicle division with the same name whereas Audi does not.
Being part of the Volkswagen Group, the Audi brand could be left untainted by the image of vans, trucks, or semis bearing the same badge. They have Volkswagen for the lighter stuff and MAN or Scania for the heavy pulling, which leaves Audi free to care for its plush leather interiors and such.
But if the trend goes in such a way that pickups become the new SUVs, then that never say never attitude will once again prove to be correct. It's not that long since Audi introduced the Q7, its first-ever SUV, and before Mercedes launched the ML-Class, those too were considered to be anything but premium. Things change.
Who knows what Audi's exterior design will look like by then, but if the trend switch were to come, say, tomorrow, then the Ingolstadt company would probably put something like this on the market. And you know what? It's not half bad, actually.
The huge grille that Audis have been flaunting for a while suits the pickup just fine, giving it the kind of aggressive front end you would want from this type of vehicle. We're not entirely sold on the LED strip underneath the headlights, but that's pretty much the only reservation we have over the entire design.
The rear isn't as exciting but, let's face it, there's only so much you can do with a tailgate and two vertical taillights. The exposed red chassis elements are actually a nice and unexpected touch that makes the rear stand out from the otherwise bland crowd.
The funny thing is that, if we're to remain in fantasy land, it wouldn't even take Audi too long to put something like this on the market. All it would have to do is pick up the phone, call Volkswagen and ask for the key to where they keep the Amarok platform. Then it's just a case of dressing it up, slotting a juicier engine under the hood, and asking a ton of money for it.
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