Volkswagen is considering a pickup for the US market that could potentially be a plug-in hybrid, the North American brand’s boss said Tuesday in an interview with Volkswagen. Motorcycle Authority.
US VW Group President and CEO Pablo di Si said the potential pickup could have a hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, but it would certainly be one or the other.
“It would be strategically unwise to go in multiple directions for hybrids,” said Di Si. That seems to be in contrast to the strategies of other automakers such as Toyota and Hyundai/Kia, which currently sell many models with both hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options.
Concept Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak
VW’s US-market pickup is said to take advantage of existing platforms in the automaker’s portfolio and will likely feature a monolithic structure, likely using the car’s bones. VW Atlas crossover SUV.
The Atlas served as the basis for the VW Tanoak pickup concept shown at the 2018 New York Auto Show. At the time, VW executives said the Tanoak was merely to gauge interest. for consumers and not for production purposes.
If the pickup is assembled with the Atlas at VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant (which also produces the ID.4 EV), it could also be part of meeting the requirements for the associated EV tax credit. state under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The new rules regulate the domestic assembly and sourcing of battery minerals for eligible vehicles.
Time is not clear. The Atlas was introduced for the 2018 model year, refreshed in 2021, and is expected to get another update in 2024. The redesign could take years.
Volkswagen Amarok 2022
A plug-in hybrid pickup will be the return of sorts. Back in 2015, before VW decided to double down on its MEB platform and focus on electric vehicles rather than hybrids, VW was one of the only automakers to target brings fast charging to its plug-in hybrid.
VW has been looking at pickups in the US market for some time, and electrification is often part of the discussion. The automaker currently sells small pickups in some markets, but in 2020, COO Johan de Nysschen says any such trucks for the US will have to run entirely on electricity. Later that year, the then-CEO of the VW Group in the US, Scott Keogh, said that an electric pickup would be “chance of a lifetime” for VW and is being seriously considered.
In 2022, the parent company of the American VW Group decided to activate Scout is an electric truck brand-arrive complete surprise of American dealerswho still won’t seem to have the all-electric pickup they almost already have.
