Audi may soon bring a premium pickup truck to market to rival the higher-performance versions of the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, as it appears such a model is being considered at a high level.
The shock confirmation came from the German marque’s CEO, Markus Duesmann, who, when asked if an Audi pick-up was a possibility, said: “I can’t promise we’ll make one, but we let’s think about it.”
He was speaking to reporters alongside the CEOs of each of the Audi group’s three other brands – Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati – ahead of the group’s annual earnings report.
After Duesmann’s response, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark jokingly added, “I wouldn’t like to have one in Bentley’s portfolio.”
Audi wouldn’t go into further detail on a potential pick-up model, but Duesmann said: “Actually we’ll present – not too far from here – maybe something,” hinting at the possibility imminent concept unveiling or official model confirmation.
As part of its annual conference, the company showcased the new Audi A6 Avant E-tron concept and will soon unveil the third and final entry in its Sphere concept family, the city-focused UrbanSphere SUV, but none of these don’t seem like obvious candidates for an open-back body variant. In 2019, however, the company showed off the extravagant AI:Trail concept, a high-powered electric off-roader with Level 4 autonomous functionality, which could serve as the basis for a future production model.
One possibility at this point is that Audi could leverage its relationship with parent company Volkswagen to launch its own version of the next generation Volkswagen Amarok, itself based on the Ford Ranger as part of a strategic partnership between both companies.
Previewed in a series of design sketches and to be revealed in a few months, the Amarok will be built by Ford in Silvertown, South Africa, and will be offered with either a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel or a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-17 10:01:24
