Skip to main content

Volkswagen eyes the pickup truck segment with the Atlas Tanoak concept

We’ve heard rumors of Volkswagen returning to the pickup segment for years, but they’ve never materialized. The Advanced Activity Concept (AAC) from 2000 remained just that: a concept. The Amarok launched overseas in 2010 never disembarked on our shores. This year, the rumors are finally true. The German brand introduced a pickup truck named Atlas Tanoak at the New York auto show.

Named after a species of trees, the Atlas Tanoak stretches 214 inches long, nearly 80 inches wide, and 72 inches tall. It’s a large midsize pickup, meaning it theoretically competes in the same segment as the Chevrolet Colorado and the Toyota Tacoma. There’s a twist in the plot: it rides on a unibody platform. That makes it a direct rival for Honda’s lifestyle-oriented Ridgeline.

Volkswagen designed the Tanoak with practicality in mind. The cargo bed is large enough to store bikes with the tailgate up. Lowering it clears up enough space for an ATV. And though it’s based on the Atlas, the two models share very few styling cues. The Tanoak wears a more outdoorsy design with black plastic cladding all around and chiseled body panels. Light-up inserts in the grille bring the truck in line with the Atlas Cross Sport, a concept also introduced at the New York show.

The dual cab configuration creates a spacious interior with room for five passengers. It’s rugged above all, but the Tanoak doesn’t skimp on tech. It features the digital instrument cluster available in several Volkswagen and Audi products and a large, tablet-like touch screen that runs the infotainment system.

The concept car styling hides some pretty realistic hardware, including components already in production. Like the Atlas SUV, the Tanoak rides on Volkswagen’s modular MQB platform. Power comes from a naturally-aspirated (read: not turbo charged) 3.6-liter V6 engine that channels 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque to the four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system. Sound familiar? It might; it’s the exact same setup offered on top-spec variants of the Atlas.

“Volkswagen’s U.S.-produced Atlas has the potential to grow into a model family,” the company explained in a statement. We already know a five-seater model previewed by the Cross Sport concept will join the seven-seater model in showrooms next year. Could the lineup ultimately include a pickup truck? We don’t know, it sounds like Volkswagen hasn’t decided yet, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Editors' Recommendations

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
Lordstown Motors starts taking orders for electric, 600-hp pickup truck
lordstown motors electric pickup truck range specs pricing announced 2021 endurance sketch

Flush with cash from General Motors, startup automaker Lordstown Motors is moving full speed ahead with the development of an electric pickup truck it hopes will beat comparable models made by Tesla, Rivian, Ford, and others. The company announced the Endurance -- its upcoming entry into the burgeoning segment -- will be the first to hit the market, and it released preliminary technical specifications as it began taking orders for the model.

The vast majority of electric cars sold new in 2019 are equipped with one electric motor per axle (two-wheel-drive models have a single motor, while the ones with all-wheel drive use two). Using technology licensed from another startup named Workhorse, Lordstown plans to develop an innovative four-wheel-drive, 600-horsepower powertrain that assigns one electric motor to each wheel, so four in total. Rivian packed similar technology into the R1T it unveiled in 2018.

Read more
Volkswagen found something fun to do with its Atlas Cross Sport family hauler
volkswagen atlas cross sport r baja 1000 off road racer 2019 los angeles auto show

Previous

Next

Read more
Too hip for a minivan? Check out VW’s all-electric ID.Space Vizzion concept
ID. SPACE VIZZION CONCEPT profile

Volkswagen unveiled yet another concept car in its ID series of electric vehicles at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. With previous ID concepts showcasing hatchback, crossover, and even dune buggy designs, you'd think VW would be out of ideas. But the Volkswagen ID.Space Vizzion promises something different. Previewing a possible production model that could launch in 2021, Volkswagen claims it will defy categorization.

The ID.Space Vizzion will combine "the aerodynamic characteristics of a Gran Turismo with the spaciousness of an SUV," according to Volkswagen. The concept car has a tall, upright roofline, but without the ground clearance normally associated with SUVs. It looks a bit like the recently discontinued Ford Flex, which also tried to combine car and SUV styling elements. It also means the ID.Space Vizzion looks a bit like a minivan without sliding doors.

Read more