Photo: Scout Motors/Volkswagen
A few months ago, Volkswagen announced that it will launch the Scout brand as an off-road marque. Named after the International Harvester Scout, the all-electric subsidiary will build two EVs in the U.S. by 2026.
Said electric vehicles are an SUV and a pickup truck, which makes for an interesting parallel to Rivian’s current lineup. Both models are reportedly underpinned by a brand-new architecture developed specifically for them.
This platform won’t be used by Volkswagen anytime soon, according to big kahuna Thomas Schafer. The global head of the Volkswagen brand told Automotive News Europe that the so-called “Rugged SUV platform is not our priority at the moment,” which is bad news for U.S. dealers that were looking forward to a VW pickup for the U.S. market.
Pablo Di Si, the head of Volkswagen Group of America, promised that he’ll do everything he can to give American customers a pickup, albeit in due time. “Right now, my focus is on strengthening the SUV portfolio. I will address pickups at the right time, but right now, I have other issues to tackle.”
The current state of affairs is all the more disappointing because Volkswagen used to make the first-generation Amarok mid-size pickup truck in Argentina. The second-generation Amarok is a Ford Ranger with different styling, and once again, Volkswagen won’t sell it stateside.
We also have to remember the Atlas Tanoak Concept and Tarok Concept, two pickups based on the German automaker’s MQB platform. Nothing came out of them even though Volkswagen already makes the MQB-based Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport at its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee.
Based on unibody crossovers, the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are doing just fine stateside despite their limited payload and towing capacities. Given all the aforementioned points, shouldn’t VW make up its mind already about offering a pickup truck in the United States?
This platform won’t be used by Volkswagen anytime soon, according to big kahuna Thomas Schafer. The global head of the Volkswagen brand told Automotive News Europe that the so-called “Rugged SUV platform is not our priority at the moment,” which is bad news for U.S. dealers that were looking forward to a VW pickup for the U.S. market.
Pablo Di Si, the head of Volkswagen Group of America, promised that he’ll do everything he can to give American customers a pickup, albeit in due time. “Right now, my focus is on strengthening the SUV portfolio. I will address pickups at the right time, but right now, I have other issues to tackle.”
The current state of affairs is all the more disappointing because Volkswagen used to make the first-generation Amarok mid-size pickup truck in Argentina. The second-generation Amarok is a Ford Ranger with different styling, and once again, Volkswagen won’t sell it stateside.
We also have to remember the Atlas Tanoak Concept and Tarok Concept, two pickups based on the German automaker’s MQB platform. Nothing came out of them even though Volkswagen already makes the MQB-based Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport at its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee.
Based on unibody crossovers, the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick are doing just fine stateside despite their limited payload and towing capacities. Given all the aforementioned points, shouldn’t VW make up its mind already about offering a pickup truck in the United States?
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