Will Audi Join the Pickup Truck Market?

Ford, General Motors, and Dodge—also known as the Big Three automakers, dominate the arena of pickup trucks. But now, other car brands are jumping into the ever-growing truck market.

Audi, the German carmaker famous for crossovers and small-sized vehicles, is rumored to have plans on joining the truck bandwagon. For their annual earnings report, the brand's CEO, Markus Duesmann, was alongside other CEOs of the three Audi Group brands—Ducati, Bentley, and Lamborghini. During the conference, he was asked if there's a possibility that Audi will join the pickup market. "I can't promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it," Duesmann answered.

Is the statement a hint that Audi will soon join the truck market?

Hints on rumored pickup

After Audi's CEO responded to the question, Bentley's CEO Adrian Hallmark jokingly retorted that he would not love to have a pickup in the Bentley portfolio.

Audi does not give further details about its potential pickup truck model, but Duesmann said Audi will show something not too far from now. The statement of Audi's CEO seems like a hint at the possibility of the unveiling of an upcoming concept or the anticipated official model confirmation.

Creating an official pickup model has not been confirmed yet, but Audi has already spent a tremendous amount of money building advanced driver assistance systems and electric vehicles. Even though pickup trucks do not seem to fit with the rest of Audi’s strategy, the massive investments can be a part of a dedicated truck platform for the brand.

An official pickup model has not been confirmed yet, but the hints during the interview indicate that Audi could soon enter the pickup truck market. The brand's pickup model will challenge rivals such as Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.

VW’s truck

Despite the booming market and the country's fondness for pickup trucks, Volkswagen's Amarok has never made it to the U.S. market. It's not just a simple truck but like a Touareg with an open rear bed. In South America and Europe, it was a best-selling vehicle. It even gained a strong following, which was an almost cult-like reputation.

You can drive the Amarok with the rear wheels on smooth concrete roads. But on slippery and bumpy road conditions, you may switch to a four-wheel-drive (4WD). Its low-range 4WD lets you comfortably drive at low speeds when off-roading. It has electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes that help control the vehicle in a skid.

Like any other 4WD truck, the Amarok with a manual gearbox has part-time 4WD and dual-range gearing. But the ones with auto-gearbox have a full-time 4WD system which is a rare feature among pickup trucks. It helps with stability when the road is slippery.

The 'Made in Germany' pickups had been a hit with customers, especially in New Zealand. The assembly plant in Germany used to build Amarok trucks, including the special editions of the 2.0-liter model. However, the production shifts to the South American plant. Most Amaroks in Australia came from Thailand (excluding Ultimate and Highline) but were produced at Volkswagen’s General Pacheco plant in Argentina.

Unfortunately, Volkswagen yanked the truck off their lineup and made it unavailable for European consumers. The EU imposed average emission limits for vehicle manufacturers, so VW dropped the V6 Amarok in response and discontinued it in 2020.

VW is gearing up for electrification, so they released a lot of EVs, including SUVs and vans with electric powertrains. The Hannover factory was repurposed to manufacture the ID.Buzz electric van and an upcoming D-segment SUV.

VW almost pulled the plug on the Amarok, but thanks to the partnership with Ford—they will develop and continue the production of its second generation. The well-loved pickup will likely go back on sale in Europe with a more environment-friendly 2.0-liter engine.

Possible truck ideas

The Volkswagen-Ford pickup-focused alliance is on the teaser train. In January, the automakers released a small collection of near-production sketches showing the truck’s side and rear. The new-gen Amarok is a T6 body-on-frame midsize pickup—which seems like a Ranger’s cousin.

Conventional gas-powered or hybrid

Ford’s partnership with VW has jumpstarted the comeback of the new-generation Amarok and the updated Ranger. Audi could take one route to create a conventional truck using the existing architecture from the underpinnings of Amarok. It could borrow the truck’s architecture and potentially use it as a starting point. Being a part of VW’s Group, the alliance with Ford gives access to the Ranger’s platform fused into the Amarok pickup.

It can help them generate a unibody compact truck. If the German car manufacturer makes a unibody pickup, it might not be as rugged as the Amarok, F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, and other mid-sized trucks. But Audi can create one with more improved tech and luxurious features on the interior.

People will expect their possible truck model to come with high-end technologies and various luxurious truck parts and accessories. Aside from the redesigned truck components, Audi also needs to show off its Four Rings badge to set it apart from Volkswagen for the exterior.

Electric-powered

But let’s also consider that Audi started to phase out some combustion models. The automaker could take another route and create an all-electric pickup. Imagine the Ranger-based Amarok getting a sibling truck with a four-ringed logo—like what they plan to do with the ID. Series.

Audi cannot also be ruled out from using one of the electric vehicle platforms to build their version of an electrified pickup truck. VW Group has dedicated EV platforms like the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) and Premium Platform Electric (PPE). The platforms could help reduce the costs of developing a concept for an all-new pickup truck.

The U.S. government plans to end the purchases of fuel-powered cars by 2035, so many automakers will prioritize producing more electric vehicles. Audi must take notes from Ford, Tesla, and Rivian, which successfully released electrified versions of their popular pickup trucks. Electric-powered trucks will soon become a lucrative segment as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards limit the manufacture of brand-new internal combustion vehicles.

In conclusion, Audi has the potential to create a pickup truck in the future. As of today, Audi still lags behind its Bavarian rival, BMW, in the United States. Whatever the outcome, the German car brand can guarantee a favorable result if it can find a way to cater to the U.S. market.

Jen's fascination with automotive starts when she was a kid because she likes cars more than dolls. Check out 4WheelOnline, one of the premier retailers of aftermarket truck parts. Get to see more automotive news and write-ups.