There is not much to talk about Volkswagen as far as North America is concerned. After all, the U.S. goodies are only coming later, for the 2024 model year – and beyond!
Right now, VW’s roster for U.S. customers looks a bit old and bland, frankly – even if the Golf R, Taos subcompact crossover, and electric ID.4 are actually quite fresh. Is it just me, or has Volkswagen never truly recovered from the shame regarding the Dieselgate mess? And the fact that it shows its age and lack of wisdom with every decision it takes is not helping, either.
Alas, there are (slim) chances of things getting better. For example, the nostalgia of hippie VW Bus (aka Transporter) rides will soon get a nice jolt by way of the upcoming ID. Buzz. And I can already imagine the vanlifers going on marvelous new adventures alongside their trusty new EV friend. Speaking of long road trips and potential overlanding memories, there is also a newly upgraded ICE alternative.
That would be the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas mid-size crossover SUV, which is a quirky offering slotted above the LWB Tiguan but below the smaller yet more upscale Touareg and better known as the Teramont outside of North America. Built on the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, it has been a main hook to attract U.S. customers since 2017 and for the 2024 model year, it has gone through a second facelift already.
The improvements include a new look (that full LED light bar is always catchy, right?), additional technology, and the switch from the narrow-angle V6 engine (shared with the Atlas Cross Sport) to a more powerful and torquier 2.0-liter turbocharged mill. And that is about all, at least in the real world. Meanwhile, across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators, things are a bit more expansive – to the tune of an unofficial VW Atlas pickup truck that looks ready to conquer the unibody mid-size establishment.
The idea stems courtesy of the virtual artist better known as SRK Designs on social media, who has returned to Americana CGI dreams after a lengthy hiatus and now wants a piece of VW action that would probably make the unibody Honda Ridgeline run and hide for cover. Interestingly, the thought of seeing an Atlas pickup truck brought to life for the U.S. market is not that preposterous, if our two cents are allowed on the digital matter.
After all, while the all-new Ford Ranger (complete with feisty Raptor) is indeed coming to North America after first making a novel name for itself in Europe, Asia, or Australia, its newly minted second-gen VW Amarok sibling is not crossing the Atlantic. Plus, it is going to be a decidedly long time from now before the revived Scout brand will dare to attack the SUV and pickup truck lifestyle – and it will only do it as a full EV, anyways. As such, if VW wanted a mid-size player against the Toyota Tacoma, an Atlas-derived, rugged unibody pickup truck would be a lot better than other CGI options.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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