Volkswagen Atlas Could Spawn a Pickup Truck

Volkswagen’s chief engineering officer confirms an Atlas-based truck is a possibility.

The new three-row SUV is coming soon to North America, and speaking to CarBuzz, Dr. Matthias Erb said that Volkswagen is asking how it can further scale the platform developed for the Atlas, and turning the SUV into a truck could be an option. It would be similar to Honda’s recent move of using the Pilot to develop its new Ridgeline and it would give Volkswagen a model it currently lacks in the U.S. market.

The company, however, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a body-on-frame truck, but at the same time, it’s cautious to enter the truck market. “More than 80 percent of trucks in the U.S. are full-size,” said Erb. “There are three main automakers who greatly protect this segment: Ford, GM, and Ram. They’re not just about to let someone else invade their turf.”

It’s hard to argue against Erb, especially when you look at Ford F-150 sales compared to the Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan.

Volkswagen does offer the Amarok mid-size pickup in overseas markets, but Erb has confirmed once again that Volkswagen doesn’t ever plan on bringing that to the U.S.

[Source: CarBuzz]

This article first appeared on autoguide.com

The post Volkswagen Atlas Could Spawn a Pickup Truck appeared first on VWVortex.

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