Volkswagen making plans for its full-size electric pick-up

UPDATE, April 29: Volkswagen looking to expand its US plant

Plans for a full-size electric pick-up from Volkswagen appear to be moving forward, with the company said to be looking to expand its Tennessee factory in the US to accommodate the new model.

According to a report from Reuters, Volkswagen is considering the expansion in order to build the as-yet-unnamed pick-up, alongside the ID Buzz electric people-mover.

The rumours suggest the pick-up could possibly share its underpinnings with the ID Buzz, which was recently unveiled on the company’s MEB architecture in its initial guise, using an 82kWh battery pack to power a 150kW/310Nm electric motor at the rear axle.

Larger batteries and all-wheel drive are expected to join the ID Buzz at a later date, and would make sense for a full-size pick-up.

Volkswagen is understood to be injecting nearly $10 billion into North America over the next five years, with plans for 50 per cent of its regional sales to be from electric vehicles by 2030.

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The story to here

April 18: Volkswagen could soon launch an electric pick-up in the US.

The CEO of Volkswagen’s American arm, Scott Keogh, says bringing a battery-powered pick-up to market is a huge opportunity, with Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500 expanding to offer electric powertrains.

“I think it's the chance of a lifetime in this segment because electrification gives you a reset moment,” Keogh told Business Insider.

“It gives you a chance to bring some, let's say, alternatives and some new ideas into this great segment,” he said, confirming an electric ute was something the carmaker was “actively looking at”.

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Volkswagen America CEO Scott Keogh.

Keogh says the shift to electric provides the opportunity to reach customers who may not have considered an alternative brand.

"I think a buyer would historically say, 'I buy F-150, I buy Ram, I buy Silverado.' Now they might be saying, 'I'm going to buy an electric one,'" he said.

"That reset moment gives a competitive chance to come in, whether it's Rivian or whether it's us."

In September 2021, Volkswagen America’s COO Johan De Nysschen confirmed an all-electric Amarok successor would be coming.

“We will, in the fullness of time, switch 100 per cent from [internal-combustion engined] entries to [electric vehicles],” De Nysschen said at the time.

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Above and top: The Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak concept from 2018.

“And as the VW Group looks at its global product portfolio, this means that successors to popular models such as Atlas and our Amarok truck, will eventually be electrified.”

With the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado, and most recently the Ford F-150 expanding to the Australian market, it’s possible any future electric full-size pick-up from Volkswagen could join an electric Amarok locally.