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Volkswagen interest in U.S. pickup accelerates as it launches SUV offensive

VW's Amarok is sold in South America, Australia, Europe, South Africa and Russia. VW's Amarok is sold in South America, Australia, Europe, South Africa and Russia.

By Mike Pare April 19, 2015 4 min read

Mid-size pickups

2014 U.S. sales by model and percent change from 2013: * Toyota Tacoma 155,041, down 2.8 percent * Nissan Frontier 74,323, up 18.3 percent * Honda Ridgeline 13,389, down 24.5 percent * Chevrolet Colorado 8,003, up 134.6 percent * GMC Canyon 3,070, up 230.5 percent Total: 253,826, up 3.7 percent Source: Kelley Blue Book

Ricky Smith of Al Johnson Volkswagen says he would welcome a VW pickup truck with what he terms “wide-open arms.”

“I wish they would send me a hundred pickups,” the Volkswagen sales rep at the Dalton, Ga., dealership said. “It would be the best ever.”

The German automaker with an assembly plant in Chattanooga is considering bringing a pickup or small commercial van to the United States, according to Bloomberg.

Eckhard Scholz, Volkswagen’s head of light commercial vehicles, said recently in Hanover, Germany, that the company is looking intensively at both options.