What's the news?
Volkswagen will show off a concept version of its new compact pickup truck at the Sao Paulo international motor show in Brazil next week. The new pickup is being, for now, designed exclusively for the Brazilian market, but Volkswagen is tantalisingly saying that if it's well-enough received, it could be rolled out to other global markets.
We say 'tantalisingly' because Volkswagen's big one-tonne pickup, the Amarok, is one of our favourite such cars, and a smaller, more affordable version, with (hopefully) lower running costs would be right up our street.
Details are thin on the ground for now, but Volkswagen is saying that this new model "fuses the features of a digitally networked SUV and the versatility of a consistently well-thought-out pickup to form a new, urban-oriented vehicle."
One of the main design features is a variable load bed, which you can think of as folding rear seats for the crew-cab. A flap in the back of the bodywork opens up, allowing you to carry longer loads if you're not carrying any passengers.
Smaller than the Amarok, the new truck is based on the same MQB chassis as the likes of the Tiguan, Golf, and Passat. While we wait to hear exactly what plans Volkswagen has for it in the future, the company has said that: "This new pickup's potential is so great, however, that the vehicle concept could conceivably be suitable for other regions."
And the Amarok? The current model is coming to the end of its life, and it looks as if the next one will share a chassis and engines with the Ford Ranger. Volkswagen and Ford recently signed a deal to co-develop commercial vehicles, and with the Ranger also due for replacement shortly, it's very likely that the two cars will be shared. Volkswagen has tacitly admitted that this is the plan, but hasn't given any official confirmation yet.