The Ingolstadt manufacturer is synonymous with luxurious, impeccably built cars. The keyword here is “cars” and not pickup trucks, though.
It’s odd to picture a luxury vehicle manufacturer such as Audi suddenly turning their hand to the bakkie market. Audi’s CEO Markus Duesmann recently confirmed, however, that the company was considering producing a bakkie that British publication Autocar believes could rival the inimitable Ford Ranger. Sound familiar? Mercedes-Benz’s X-Class may have sought out to do just this, but we all know how that ended…
This sudden talk of an Audi birthed bakkie came after a journalist asked Deusmann about whether or not a bakkie was in development. His response did not completely deny the possibility of a pick-up becoming a part of the manufacturer’s lineup. The Audi CEO confirmed that they are thinking about possibly developing a bakkie-like vehicle. “I can’t promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it. We will present – not too far from now – maybe something.” The cryptic CEO has sparked the idea of a pickup truck or something similar being unveiled soon.
It all good and well hoping for a bakkie from a manufacturer that hasn’t ever released one, however in terms of capability, not only would Audi be able to create a fairly competitive truck, they would have to. Given their current electric vehicle technology, this hypothetical Audi bakkie could utilise some of the manufacturer’s signature EV tech and enter into the electric bakkie/off-roader market.
As part of the VW Group, Audi is positioned well enough that finding a commercial vehicle/bakkie platform within the stable would not be that difficult. According to Felix Page from Autocar, the Ingolstadt automaker could use its position within the VW Group to work off the Amarok platform. The South African automotive industry could subsequently benefit from an Amarok-based Audi bakkie given that the new Amarok, which shares a platform with the new Ford Ranger, will be built in South Africa.
The Ingolstadt manufacturer is synonymous with luxurious, impeccably built cars. The keyword here is “cars” and not pickup trucks, though. It’s odd to picture a luxury vehicle manufacturer such as Audi suddenly turning their hand to the bakkie market. Audi’s CEO Markus Duesmann recently confirmed, however, that the company was considering producing a bakkie that British publication Autocar believes could rival the inimitable Ford Ranger. Sound familiar? Mercedes-Benz’s X-Class may have sought out to do just this, but we all know how that ended…
This sudden talk of an Audi birthed bakkie came after a journalist asked Deusmann about whether or not an Audi bakkie was in development. His response did not completely deny the possibility of a pick-up becoming a part of the manufacturer’s lineup. The Audi CEO confirmed that they are thinking about possibly developing a bakkie-like vehicle. “I can’t promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it. We will present – not too far from now – maybe something.” The cryptic CEO has sparked the idea of a pickup truck or something similar being unveiled soon.
It all good and well hoping for a bakkie from a manufacturer that hasn’t ever released one, however in terms of capability, not only would Audi be able to create a fairly competitive truck, they would have to. Given their current electric vehicle technology, this hypothetical bakkie could utilise some of the manufacturer’s signature EV tech and enter into the electric bakkie/off-roader market.
As part of the VW Group, Audi is positioned well enough that finding a commercial vehicle/bakkie platform within the stable would not be that difficult. According to Felix Page from Autocar, the Ingolstadt automaker could use its position within the VW Group to work off the Amarok platform. The South African automotive industry could subsequently benefit from an Amarok-based Audi “bakkie” given that the new Amarok, which shares a platform with the new Ford Ranger, will be built in South Africa.
Words: Ryan de Villiers