The New York Auto Show was full of surprises this
year and one of the biggest was Volkswagen’s Atlas Tanoak concept. The pickup
was an instant hit but Volkswagen was careful to note “there are currently no
production plans” for the model.
However, the company didn’t seem to rule out
the possibility altogether as the automaker said it was “keen to gauge the
reactions of buyers and media, since pickup trucks are one of the biggest
volume segments in the U.S.”
Volkswagen of America CEO Hinrich Woebcken recently
expanded on those comments by telling Wards Auto the company could examine
demand outside of the United States in order to build a business case for the
pickup. As the executive noted, the Atlas crossover is exported to Russia and
Middle Eastern markets so Volkswagen could potentially do the same with a
production version of the concept.
If Volkswagen were to determine there is enough
demand to sell the truck in markets besides the United States, it would likely
go a long way in helping to justify a production model. Unfortunately, Woebcken
wouldn’t say how many trucks the company would have to sell to make a business
case and he noted production plans are “definitely not decided.”
If the concept were to be green lighted, it would
likely be built in Chattanooga, Tennessee alongside the Atlas and the
production version of the Atlas Cross Sport concept which will be launched next
year. The model would presumably echo the concept which was based on the MQB
platform and was billed as a “large midsize pickup.”
The concept was equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine
that produced 276 hp and 360 Nm of torque. It was
connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive
system which enabled the truck to run from 0-60 mph in 8.5 seconds.
