The automotive industry is always full of rumours, which range from vague and unsubstantiated to credible to completely loony. Into that last category falls a new report, picked up on by a number of media outlets in recent days, that Audi is mulling the idea of producing a… pickup truck.
That’s right, an actual, honest-to-goodness pickup with the four rings badge on it. This is not unprecedented from a German luxury brand, mind you. We previously saw a sketch signed BMW that was essentially an El Camino-style 3 Series, a design team at that automaker once transformed an X7 for the heck of it, and even Mercedes-Benz tried its luck with the X-Class that was withdrawn from the market after two years. So why not Audi?
The speculation started innocently enough, with a journalist’s question to Audi CEO Markus Duesmann during a meeting attended by other Volkswagen Group brand managers. The question, about a possible pickup, seemed to be intended as a bit of joke, but the answer provided left room for interpretation.
Here’s what Duesman replied: “I can't promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it”. That's all it took.
The Audi executive then added, ambiguously, “Actually, we will present – not too far from now – maybe something”. Maybe something… Ok then!
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Let’s be clear, this is not a confirmation of anything - but it’s also no denial. Bentley's big boss, meanwhile, was much more definite, saying he wouldn't want one in his lineup.
Giving at least some weight to the possibility of an Audi pickup is that the company wouldn't have to dig very far for a foundation for such a model, since Volkswagen actually has a decent model in its lineup. The second generation of the Amarok is set to launch soon, and it is designed on the Ford Ranger platform.
For now, all we can do is wait. Was this the CEO’s idea of a joke, or is the company is actually serious about the idea?
