In a surprising revelation this month, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said that the brand is considering introducing an Audi pickup truck, as per an Autocar report. Nobody saw this coming, but it seems like Audi is watching the electric pickup truck segment unfold, and is convinced about evaluating the business case for a premium truck.
Concept truck to preview its design
Duesmann was speaking to reporters at a media event of the Premium Brand Group that consists of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Ducati. When asked if an Audi pickup truck is possible, he said:
I can’t promise that we will do one (Audi pickup truck), but we are looking into it.
Markus Duesmann, CEO, Audi (Premium Brand Group media event)
Adrian Hallmark, CEO, Bentley, was quick to deny any plans for a Bentley pickup truck. Duesmann spoke further and indicated that the Audi truck might debut as a concept in the near future.
Actually, we will present – not too far from now – maybe something.
Markus Duesmann, CEO, Audi (Premium Brand Group media event)
Audi shared its vision for an electric off-roader with the Audi AI:Trail quattro concept at IAA 2019, though this isn’t related to the electric Audi truck. Image Source: Audi
Positioning & Platform
Audi may not dare to release a work truck, as that could have a detrimental impact on its brand image. Mercedes-Benz Group’s failure with the X-Class is a case study that some segments are best left untouched for luxury automakers. Audi could be going after the same market that Rivian is with the R1T, only more luxurious.
In all likeliness, the Audi pickup truck would be a battery-powered EV. As beyond belief as the idea of an Audi pickup truck sounds is Autocar’s speculation that this model could be a technical cousin of the Ford Ranger EV. We doubt a modified version of Ford’s ICE T6 platform would allow building a luxurious electric pickup to meet Audi’s standards and high-tech features one normally associates with a premium German product. What’s relatively less unrealistic is an Audi electric pickup built on the largest version of the MEB platform that underpins the VW ID. Buzz.
Featured Image Source: Audi
Keyword: Audi pickup truck under consideration, likely to be electric