For pickup-loving Chattanoogans, a truck built in Volkswagen’s assembly plant in the Scenic City appears unlikely in the near future, according to the automaker.
Should a Volkswagen light truck eventually emerge for the U.S. market, a battery-powered electric one is seen as a starting point, Johan de Nysschen, VW of America’s chief operating officer, told Motor Trend magazine at the Chicago Auto Show this month.
The company official said that a pickup for the American market “is not even on the discussion” for the next five years, according to Motor Trend.
“The door is not open for a conventional approach,” de Nysschen added. “Electrification represents a new starting point for everyone.”
Two years ago, Volkswagen unveiled a pickup concept based off the Atlas sports utility vehicle (SUV) called the Tanoak. A dual-cab, short-bed concept named after a tree species native to the U.S. Pacific coast, the Tanoak was potentially seen as a third vehicle in the growing Atlas model lineup.