Volkswagen showed up to the 2019 New York Auto Show with the Tanoak Pickup concept. Based on the Volkswagen Atlas, the Tanoak concept was fairly well received. So well, in fact, that Volkswagen was even considering bringing it to market. Things were looking so well for the Tanoak, that we even made a rendering of it based on the Atlas at the time. Despite the well reception, though, there was a major question that had to be addressed: Does the market really need another midsized, unibody pickup truck? Can a company that’s hardly touched the pickup segment globally really step in the ring and throw down with brands like Ford, Chevy, or Toyota? As it turns out, the answer is no. Volkswagen knows it, and that’s why the Tanoak will never move beyond the concept stage. Well, at least not in its current form….

Volkswagen Can’t Compete With the Americans in the Pickup Truck Segment

Volkswagen might be able to razzle and dazzle the American populous with its wide range of SUVs and, to a lesser extent, hatchbacks and sedans. But, when it comes to pickup trucks, we American’s aren’t only loyal to our favorite brands, but we’re damn picky about the trucks we drive. There’s a reason that the Honda Ridgeline takes up a very tiny percentage of the pickup truck market – it’s more of a novelty than something that can actually be considered a capable truck. And, that’s exactly what the Volkswagen Tanoak would have been.

During the 2020 Chicago Auto Show, Senior VP of Marketing & Strategy for VW USA, Hein Schafer, elaborated on just that:

And, a major part of the company’s reluctance to build the Tanoak as a production model boils down to the inability to compete with other models that have been long-established on the market:

And, it should be noted that even the Toyota Tundra struggles to keep up with models from Ford, Chevy, and Ram. As American companies that, for the most part, created the pickup truck market, outsiders have absolutely no ground to stand on.

With this in mind, however, that doesn’t mean that the book is sealed when it comes to a VW-branded pickup truck in the U.S. market. With electric pickup trucks just now starting to become a thing, it’s quite possible that VW could take a stab at the electric truck segment. All models coming to the market in the next few years are new, and all will need to make their mark on the world. As Schafer said in his statement, brand loyalty will still play a role, but it won’t be as prominent as it is in the current pickup truck market. So, a midsized electric pickup with a VW badge? That could happen someday, but for right now, Volkswagen is going to focus on other things, so don’t expect to see it anytime soon.

2021 Volkswagen Atlas Specifications