Hecha en Argentina: First official drawing of VW's new pickup

See that drawing in the right corner of the pic? That's an official VW render of the company's new pickup, internally called the Robust. It's hanging at an event called ExpoAgro in Argentina, where the truck will be built. The banner on the left says "The VW pickup for the field." VW isn't playing around with the model, either, having invested a billion pesos into its Pacheco factory to get ready for the vehicle's 2009 or 2010 launch.
The render presents a neat profile that looks low to the ground -- more ute than pickup really, much like the VW Rabbit pickup from almost three decades ago. We do find the rear sloping roof a bit odd, seeing that it would eat into quite a bit of bed space if the line continued into the bed. But it's just a render, so we don't want to read too much into it. With carmakers putting fake interiors in test mules nowadays, for all we know, the Robust render could also be a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl.
[Source: Argentina Auto Blog]


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JaysonAych 4:39PM (3/10/2008)
"Robust render could also be a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl."
It's a big pretty white truck with curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.
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Mike 8:10AM (3/11/2008)
"Do you like gladiator movies?"
Fatman 4:42PM (3/10/2008)
Yeah, fastback cab, mini-Ridgeline thing going on or a roll bar; the possibilities are endless. As long as it's built in Argentina I'm in. Anyone believe any of this? Anyone, anyone?
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Brian 4:51PM (3/10/2008)
Headline should read Hecho en Argentina. :)
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gorejo 4:55PM (3/10/2008)
Not really, truck is femenine in Spanish, so it´s correct
dcwf 5:03PM (3/10/2008)
Actually, truck is masculine (el camión). However, pickup truck (la camioneta) is feminine. Go figure.
Brian 9:19PM (3/10/2008)
The gender of the object doesn't matter, as we're conjugating the verb "hacer." Verbs don't match the gender of the object, they match the person (Yo, tu, el, nosotros, ellos). So verb "hacer" has to be conjugated for "la camioneta" (3rd person singular), so it becomes hecho.
DHG 6:14PM (3/10/2008)
It does say "hecha" on VW's own banner though.
I think it's being used adjectivally, so it has to agree with "La Pick-up".
Never thought I'd use the word "adjectivally" at Autoblog.
And I never will again. I promise. ;)
Jonathan 6:40PM (3/10/2008)
You have no idea what you're talking about. "Hecho/a" is the past participle, not the 3rd person singular (which would be "hace"). Past participle agrees with the gender of the noun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_participle#Spanish
James 2:53AM (3/11/2008)
I love how all these people who don't speak Rioplatense Spanish are just chipping in on how wrong the AutoBlog guys got it, when it's written in VW's own ad. Do you really think they'd write it incorrectly on their own billboard? Brian, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Por favor, aprenda el español bien antes de corregir a los demás.
Luna34 4:57PM (3/10/2008)
I dont know if you guys are aware of this, but VW already has a pick up and the sell them in Mexico. I see these around all the time. They seem very popular in mexico. They should bring it to the US, a lot of people would buy these. Its a really small pick up, but i can see it being used by people who want the convenience of a pick up but don't need the full size pick up. It is offered with a 1.8 4 cylinder that makes about 98HP. Seems like it gives good MPG, something we really need with these gas prices.
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Blake 5:06PM (3/10/2008)
"We do find the rear sloping roof a bit odd, seeing that it would eat into quite a bit of bed space if the line continued into the bed."
Look at the Honda Ridgeline, you dolt.
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bfg0 5:12PM (3/10/2008)
Exactly - VW is probably using a unibody frame and they need the flying buttresses to make the bed rigid. Just like the Ridgeline. Autoblog should just can the editorial comments - they continuously embarrass themselves.
AlexP 5:03PM (3/10/2008)
>having invested a billion pesos
About $3000 USD.
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Bancho 5:10PM (3/10/2008)
Don't worry, we're hard at work trying to help the dollar reach parity with the peso!
AlexP 5:30PM (3/10/2008)
Yeah like 200 pounds is like over 6000 USD now? :V
Stig 5:34PM (3/10/2008)
No
1 USD = 3.17 PESOS
1.000.000.000 PESOS /3.17 PESOS=315.457.413,24 USD
im from argentina :)
AlexP 5:45PM (3/10/2008)
Argentinians apparently don't understand humor.
Rick 7:37PM (3/10/2008)
Rear sloping roof? Seems to me like the Bat, Avalanche and Ridgeline. Why would VW not follow those and from left feild give the truck a slanted rear sedan window?
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James 3:01AM (3/11/2008)
"Camioneta" does literally mean "little truck," but in Argentina, it's quite common to call any type of truck a "camioneta," and in advertisements, such as this one above, car companies often simply use "pick-up" or other vocabulary in other parts of the Spanish-speaking world.