To mark World Design Day, Volkswagen has released a rendering of an ID. Buzz pickup truck concept.
The image was tweeted out overnight by the company with a note stating: “Today is World Design Day. On the way from an idea to production, there are a lot of unseen design drafts made – like this one: An ID. Buzz pick-up!”
Volkswagen then asks users to comment, and vote via emoji. At the time of writing, the overwhelming majority of respondents were positive about the car.
The ute rendering is based on the 2017 ID. Buzz concept rather the final production version. Aside from the tub, the ute concept has smaller rear doors and a small step ahead of the rear wheel arch.
The ID. Buzz was inspired by Kombi vans of yore, and Volkswagen has offered a ute version of every generation of Transporter.
It’s unclear at this stage at this stage how seriously the company is considering building a ute based on its retro-styled electric people mover and van.
The company has been mulling a recreational pickup truck for the lucrative US market for many years now, but has yet to put anything into production. Its most recent effort in this regard was the Atlas Tanoak concept in 2018.
Based on the MQB architecture, and sharing a lot with the family-friendly Atlas crossover, the Tanoak would have been a competitor for the Honda Ridgeline rather than mid-sized body-on-frame models like the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Frontier, and Ford Ranger.
Speaking of the latter, the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok will use the same platform, drivetrains and electronics package as the Ford Ranger.
While this makes the new Amarok a technical possibility for the US, in all likelihood it’s a non-starter as the new ute will be built in South Africa. The 25 per cent “chicken tax” for light trucks and vans imported into the US would make the new Amarok uncompetitive.
