Volkswagen has long watched rivals profit from rugged, ladder-frame pickup-based SUVs without offering its own.
But behind the scenes, some Wolfsburg bosses have been pushing hard to green-light such a project, and they haven't given up.
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles previously developed a one-off seven-seat SUV based on the Amarok pickup.
The body-on-frame midsize truck sells in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America, but not the US.
The vehicle never made it beyond the prototype stage, but it apparently still survives within Volkswagen's internal collection.
Why the Project Stalled
The concept itself is straightforward: take a rugged body-on-frame pickup, replace the cargo bed with an enclosed passenger cabin, add a third row, and you have a rival for vehicles like the Ford Everest, Toyota 4Runner, and Isuzu MU-X.
The problem wasn't engineering. Volkswagen reportedly advanced the project far enough to establish its overall shape and proportions.
VWCV head of design Albert Kirzinger even shared an image of the creation on LinkedIn in 2024, years after it was nixed.
The real hurdle was money.
Building a dedicated SUV derivative only makes sense if enough buyers show up, and Volkswagen's Wolfsburg chiefs couldn't make the numbers work.
While ladder-frame, pickup-based SUVs are hugely popular in Australia, Thailand, South Africa, and parts of South America, they aren't volume sellers everywhere else.
Now, though, the idea could be back under consideration. "To extend the model range is a long-desired wish," Mecha told Australia's Go Auto.
