Audi is set to launch, and could soon unveil a pick-up prototype

Pick-ups are a type of vehicle that is enjoying great popularity and is winning a large share of the market. So much so that what happened at the time with SUVs is now happening again. Many brands that were initially far removed from this type of vehicle are considering entering the market with them.

Audi is one of those brands that, in principle, steer clear of this type of pick-up. But that could change soon, because they are apparently looking for ways to introduce one of these vehicles into their lineup. This could happen within a few months, at least in the form of a prototype.

Two paths Audi could take

Audi wants to offer a pick-up to its customers, according to Markus Duesmann, CEO of the brand. His words did not indicate that this would become reality in the short term, but he did mention that they are working on developing one of these vehicles. The amusing part came from the CEO of Bentley, who assured that, of course, Bentley would not be the one to take that road.

The images accompanying this article are not official. They are those presented by the concept artist Raleigh Haire, who imagined what a Audi pick-up would look like in 2020. Still, they serve to illustrate what we might expect from the brand in this respect.

One of the two paths Audi could follow is the creation of a pick-up with a combustion engine. In that case, we could picture a version built on the group’s platform Volkswagen, so it could have a lot in common with the Volkswagen Amarok, which is already in its second generation. This platform is shared with the Ford F150, so it would be positioned in that segment.

But there is another path they could take. It would be to create a pick-up based on electric mobility, capable of competing with the Tesla Cybertruck or the GM Hummer EV. A higher-end vehicle that experiments with electric traction and offers a little extra to the buyer. The technology used in the Audi AI:Trail, an off-road concept presented in 2019 of which you can also see an image.

If we take into account that Audi’s plans involve launching its last model with a combustion engine in 2026, the bet could lean toward the second option. It is a risky bet, since the previous similar project carried out by a premium brand was the Mercedes X-Class, which launched in 2017 and was discontinued in May 2020 due to its limited success.

Will we see a pick-up wearing the four-ring badge? We won’t have to wait long to find out.