It would ride on the MEB platform.
Volkswagen may introduce an electric pickup in the United States. According to Hein Schafer, Volkswagen of America Senior Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, the company isn’t ruling it out. This was based on Hein Schafer’s response on the Autoline After Hours podcast. This query is the beginning of the video.
A listener questions whether VW might introduce a small truck to America, similar to the one that is coming soon. Ford Maverick Or Hyundai Santa Cruz . Schafer dismisses this possibility right away. He stated that American companies are not interested in developing new combustion-powered vehicles.
His response does not end there. Schafer claims that the MEB platform allows the automaker to try new things. Schafer stated that this “does allow us potential to bring some kinda small pickup truck or something a little larger.”
He also offered other suggestions. It wouldn’t be a mistake to consider the possibility of something bigger on the BEV platform. Schafer stated that if we build a large SUV using the BEV platform, then it might make sense to also have a pickup.
Although none of this confirms the electric truck, the length of his response suggests that VW of America is considering it. You could have simply replied to the question with the statement that a Maverick competitor was unlikely to occur in the US.
Thomas Ulbrich (VW’s board member responsible for electric mobility) indicated in 2020 that VW was investigating the possibility of building an electric vehicle pickup using the MEB platform. He stated that “Step-by-step our research and investigation makes us believe it becomes more feasible.”
VW plans to launch 75 electric cars worldwide by 2029. Many of these vehicles will ride on the MEB platform. The automaker has already teased its next generation EV architecture in Project Trinity. Although the vehicle won’t be available until 2026, it promises Level4 autonomous motoring and super-fast charging speeds.