According to recent comments made by Audi’s CEO, the company may be considering joining the ute market.
Markus Duesmann, Audi’s CEO, was asked if a pick-up was in the works ahead of the company’s annual earnings report, and he answered, “I can’t promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it.”
No further information was provided, although Duesmann did say, “Actually, we will present – not too far from now – maybe something,” implying that the project is still in the works.
We would naturally assume Audi to use the Volkswagen Amarok as a base for its ute, itself based on the new Ford Ranger.
However, the Amarok will be offered with a 3.0-litre diesel V6 or, probably, a 2.0-litre diesel engine, and we know that Audi is pushing hard to electrify its line-up.
Considering Ford hasn’t discussed a hybrid Ranger yet, let alone a fully electric version, Audi might need to look elsewhere for its ute.
It could use the MEB platform it shares with Volkswagen, or even the PPE platform that sits under the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT, both of which support four-wheel drive, to create an electric pick-up, which would fit nicely with Audi’s plans to be all-electric by 2030.
This plan could also allow Audi to potentially compete against electric trucks in America, already a lucrative market with players like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Hummer EV truck and Rivian R1T.
Volkswagen’s CEO, Herbert Diess, has also expressed interest in an electric pick-up, saying as much during a recent Reddit ‘Ask Me Anything’ session. Of course, that doesn’t mean Volkswagen is working on such a vehicle, but with Duesmann’s comments, it seems increasingly likely…
We do know that Audi will launch petrol-fed A6 models in the next few years, so the quick turnaround offered by using the Amarok bones could allow Audi to get product to market in time for it to be on sale before the 2030 deadline.
If Audi does come to market with its own ute, it would be the first time since the Mercedes-Benz X-Class that a premium German manufacturer offered a pick-up on the market. And we know how that turned out…