German automaker Volkswagen might throw its hat into the ring for a share of the North American electric pickup market with an as-yet unnamed crew cab EV truck design that will go head-to-head with U.S. competitors such as the Rivian R1T and, among GM models, the Chevy Silverado EV and the GMC Sierra EV.
According to reporting by WardsAuto, the new Volkswagen pickup is currently being developed alongside the Scout brand EV truck by a team with Andreas Mindt, the 55-year-old head of Volkswagen design, as its leader.
Both the cab and bed of the Volkswagen pickup are expected to be roomier than those of the Rivian R1T, a vehicle to which it is repeatedly compared. The pickup will receive a distinctive styling treatment intended to set it apart from the Scout brand, although it will use the same platform, motors, and technology under the skin.
The truck will be made with Volkswagen design language and styling cues to make its origins clear. It will feature “a bold yet functional appearance” according to statements about its design. The vehicle should be tough enough to conquer challenging off-roading conditions thanks to its ladder-frame design and other planned elements. Motivation will be supplied by a dual-motor setup providing 4WD and tank-turn capability.
The Wolfsburg automaker announced its plans to revive the Scout brand back in spring of 2022, with electric pickup trucks and SUVs in the pipeline. Appealing to American tastes, the company has gone so far as to designate the Scout brand sport utility as the RUV or “Rugged Utility Vehicle.”
The Scout pickup and RUV will likely be midsize models, according to insider sources. With the new unnamed Volkswagen pickup a full-size truck, the model is not expected to cannibalize sales from the Scout pickup. Scout vehicles may start production in 2026, with yearly sales of 250,000 units expected.
Both the Scout and the unnamed VW pickup will likely be produced at a plant in Columbia, South Carolina. An anonymous company source said Volkswagen sees the pickup as “a chance for the Volkswagen brand to enter what has traditionally been one of the largest market segments in the U.S.,” adding that “an electric pickup is a whole new ballgame.”
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Comments
I think that any of these automakers that are diving both feet in the EV game at this point with slowing demand and tepid acceptance is just throwing their money away. I see overcapacity written all over these moves. Regarding VW, they have always been a distant also-ran in the US market and it won’t be any different this time around.
Personally I haven’t been interested in any Volkswagen product since they discontinued their air-cooled engine products.
The problem with jumping into Electrics with a full-sized pickup is that this size is already covered here…. People seem to love ‘small to midsize’ pickups much better, although demanding a much lower price point.
Slower Charging and not so huge batteries will not hurt anyone making a small to midsize pickup electric.
But FULL SIZE essentially 1 ton pickups (they are really straining that full size half ton label) require the best of everything – especially a visit from an electrician if the purchaser isn’t handy, or comfortable doing electrical work. Depending on VW’s Electrify America only works if they give an unbelievably generous offer, such as Toyota did with their Hydrogen MIRAI and 3 years free fuel. Too many of EA’s facilities are in dilapidated shape.
(Of course – with many shutting down their California Dispensaries, early hydrogen buyers are in a bind).
Why?
I welcome this and I would like to see a gas engine version also.
Rivaling Sierra and Silverado? I seriously doubt that. I think the author needs to go back to school.
So with anticipated production of 2026 they should beat GM’s EV trucks to market.