VW production plans for a midsize pickup

haven

Expedition Leader
Let's put this note in the domestic section, if only because VW has a plant in Tennessee, and will build this pickup in USA to avoid the "chicken-tax" tariff.

in recent days, VW has strongly hinted that its plans for a midsize pickup have advanced from "concept" to "pre-production" status. First shown in concept form last March, the Atlas Tanoak pickup may get a green light for production will be given soon. The pickup would be built at VW's plant in Chattanooga TN.

A press release from VW ( https://media.vw.com/releases/1001 ) states the Tanoak four door model will have a 214 inch wheelbase, which is shorter than the four door Toyota and Chevrolet midsize models. Four wheel drive with 10 inch ground clearance and low range sound competitive. VW has a hybrid powertrain that supplements the V6 gas engine with two electric motors.

The midsize pickup was almost dead a few years ago. Today we have Toyota, Nissan and GM shipping product. Hyundai and now VW will join the game in two or three years.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Assuming the Atlas is a unibody vehicle, this would seem to be a hybrid unibody/ladder frame vehicle, perhaps like the old Jeep Commanche pickup. IIRC that had a unibody front end with a ladder frame bolted onto the back for the truck bed.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Can't be as terrible as the Honda. The Honda won't go up a dirt road. When it gets steep the trans, or something like it, just slips. Then it just starts to cook. Lol, the most pathetic thing I ever saw.

The concept is pretty ugly though. They didn't make the word "Atlas'', big enough. There's still a couple inches of room on that grill.
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Wheelbase is 128.3 inches. Total length is 214 inches. It will be smaller than your CCLB F350 for sure.
A Tacoma Double Cab, short (5') box has a wheelbase within an inch of this VW thing and the overall length is about 5 inches shorter. All the midsize 4 door, short box trucks are actually pretty close in size.
Why would they not bring the Amarok to the states? OH wait people are still butt hurt about the whole TDi thing.
View attachment 468067
Completely agree. Amarok here would be awesome. The early ones were rebadged Hilux (the 3rd gen 4x4, 89-97 ones) so they started with a solid foundation and apparently have tinkered as Germans famously are known to do and have made it into an excellent truck.

But having owned a VW Jetta (not TDI), the only way I'd buy it would be base model with crank windows, stick shift, no electronic doodads. Ours is just that way and has been fine, but its starting to get gremlins in the dashboard. At 163k miles I can't expect much more from a VW when you hear of people's blinkers triggering sunroofs and what-not at many fewer miles.
 
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ttengineer

Adventurer
FFS why!?

Midsize trucks shouldn’t even be a thing. The engines are anemic, the transmissions are terrible, the seat angle is no different than a car. I just don’t get it.

Sure the Taco is popular, but it’s only worth a crap in its nearly 50k configuration.

Same with the Colorado.

Whats worse, you can’t even use them as a truck. Try fitting a sheet of plywood or Sheetrock in a midsize.

But to each their own.


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