Ever since Hyundai announced that it would introduce a body-on-frame truck for the American market – previewed in some form by the Boulder concept – the idea of a newcomer pickup hasn't seemed quite as far-fetched as it once did. Typically, the Americans have dominated the full-size segment with machines like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram 1500, while the midsize segment is the domain of Japan's vaunted Toyota Tacoma. But alongside Hyundai, Volkswagen Group of America is apparently considering making a move into the pickup space, although Teutonophiles shouldn't celebrate just yet as no decisions have been made. 'I Wouldn't Rule It Out At All' The news that VW would consider a midsize truck came from the head of the company's US operations. Dr. Kjell Gruner, president and CEO of Volkswagen America, acknowledged that doing business in the States requires keeping an eye at the entire market, especially for high-demand segments like pickup trucks, which dominate 30 percent of all new-vehicle sales on our shores. "Of course, if the market has that size, you can’t just ignore it," Gruner told a group of journalists during a closed-door roundtable discussion.VWVolkswagen still doesn't know whether it would enter the American truck segment at all, much less with what kind of product, but Gruner did say that the automaker was really only looking at two specific segments: a traditional midsize truck that would square off against the aforementioned Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado, or a unibody compact pickup like the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz.Of course we look at that, you know, that C pickup or B pickup, etc., and we look at how those segments are developing. And I wouldn't want to rule it out at all.–Dr. Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of AmericaWe'd place our bets on the former form factor. After all, the global-market Volkswagen Amarok shares more than a little DNA with the Ford Ranger, stemming from the two companies' collaboration on commercial vehicles and EVs. In addition to a bunch of America-unfriendly small diesel powertrains, the Amarok comes with one gasoline engine, a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four that makes 300 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque – slightly more than the 270 hp and 310 lb-ft that the same engine makes in the American Ranger.VolkswagenIf, however, Volkswagen decides to go a unibody route, we're not sure what kind of truck it would create. Something based on the recently revealed 2027 Atlas would be a good guess, as the platform is already capable of towing 5,000 pounds, a number that would match the similarly constructed Honda Ridgeline. It's also possible a unitized-construction VW pickup would look something like the Tarok concept, which incidentally previewed the styling of the Taos subcompact SUV. No Decisions Have Been Made As is the case in Europe and Australia, any potential VW truck could be part of a larger commercial vehicle push in the US. Answering a question about the Volkswagen ID. Buzz cargo van that's available in Europe, Gruner said that the automaker was also considering bringing some of its commercial vehicles to America, a move that could give the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and eSprinter some company.VolkswagenAfter all, the Volkswagen Type 2 – alternatively called the Bus, Microbus, and Transporter – is one of the most famous examples of the #vanlife movement in the US, which is primarily dominated today by the aspirational Mercedes boxes. All that said, don't count on VW of America making any formal announcements about either its pickup or cargo van future any time soon. Gruner said that the company is always evaluating potential new opportunities – including for lifestyle or commercial-oriented vans and trucks."We are having these discussions internally, but we have not made any decisions," Gruner said.