By The newly established segment of luxury mid-size trucks is likely to get another member. It all started a couple of years ago, the Mercedes-Benz came with the X-Class. Now, rivals from Audi and BMW are preparing their versions as well. At this point, we don’t have many details, but it looks like there are two options when it comes to base design characteristics. The Audi Pickup Truck may come in a traditional manner, but there is also a big chance to see it riding on a crossover-based, unibody platform. This also makes perfect sense, considering that we are talking about the premium segment. In any case, the prototype could come already in the next year.
Audi Pickup Truck Design
As we already mentioned, there are two possible directions for the Audi Pickup Truck. The first one is to see a traditional body-on-frame layout, in which case the new model would use the same platform as VW Amarok. The mid-size truck has been updated last year, but we are still talking about a decade-old vehicle, which may cause some limitations for the new premium model. Therefore, a unibody platform seems far more likely, although it also has several disadvantages.
First of all, such design would mean limited work capabilities, particularly in terms of towing capacity, which probably wouldn’t go much over 5.000 pounds. Also, count on limited off-road capabilities. On the other side, the obvious advantage of this design approach is the superior ride quality. The new model would ride pretty much like any other crossover, which means significantly better comfort and overall driving experience. Also, this would leave space for car-like interior design, which would be more than welcome in this case. Most likely, the new pickup will ride on the MQB platform and share most of the parts with the Atlas. Still, don’t exclude the possibility to see a premium MLB architecture either.
Styling and Interior Design
Of course, one of the first things that come to mind is how will Audi Pickup Truck look like. Without any doubt, it will follow the brand’s latest design language. We expect many design solutions to be borrowed from models likeQ5 and Q7, but a certain amount of distinctive details is expected too. Considering that this will be a luxury truck, we expect to see some kind of a crew cab body style, with a spacious cabin and lots of luxury on the inside.
The interior design should closely resemble Audi’s latest crossovers. This means premium quality all around the cabin, along with a full amount of latest tech goodies. This would include the famous Virtual Cockpit, as well as tons of other goodies.
Audi Pickup Truck Engine
The latest reports are suggesting that the Audi Pickup Truck will come both to Europe and North America. This suggests different engine options in the offer. For the U.S. market, we expect to see a well-known V6 gasoline unit with 333 horsepower as one of the engines in the offer. On the other side, European drivers would probably prefer an oil-burner. Therefore, a 3.0-liter TDI engine seems like a perfect choice. This engine comes in several output variants, but we presume that the new truck would come with the same version as the Amarok, with 221 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque.
Audi Pickup Truck Release Date and Price
The Audi Pickup Truck is still just a rumor and we are waiting to hear some word from the officials on this matter. However, there are some pretty reliable sources that are suggesting a concept or prototype version already for the next year. Once it arrives at the market, base models will probably go around 45.000 dollars
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