Autoblog

Pickup truck sales have tanked here in the States, but in emerging markets, affordable haulers are still in demand. VW has announced that those markets would get a sneak peak at the concept version of its upcoming pickup truck offering at next week's Commercial Vehicles Show in Hanover, Germany. Our friend Mike Levine over at Pickuptrucks.com says that while VW calls the upcoming truck a one ton, it's more like a mid-sizer. Since the spy pics we showed you back in April were of a Toyota HiLux body sitting atop VW internals, we'd tend to agree with that statement.

Names on the table for VW's upcoming truck are the Robust and Taro II, and it's to be built in Pacheco, Argentina beginning next year. The Robust was not designed for the US market, so Stateside VW fans will have to cut the back out of a Touareg if they need an open truck bed.


[Source: Pickuptrucks]

The Volkswagen pickup codenamed "Robust" has been caught testing again, this time in the U.S. They aren't too different from these spy shots, both sets showing that VW is not going for any kind of flash with its newest pickup. At one point, the regular cab version was speculated to have buttresses, but we'd be surprised if there was that much difference between it and the dual cab. This hauler is about nothing other than good, solid -- and probably cheap -- transportation. Even the name "Robust" will be changed by the time it's introduced, probably to something like Plain White Pickup. Thanks for the tip, Gavin!

[Source: Wheels24]

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 VW Robust spy shots

Until now, spy shots of Volkswagen's upcoming pickup showed only a mule wearing the body of a Toyota Hilux pickup. These are the first shots that we've seen of the truck, internally called the Robust, wearing its own skin. This version is a quad-cab with a short bed, though we know from a prior rendering that a two-door standard cab with a regular-sized bed will also be offered, as well as two- and four-wheel-drive versions. The truck will be built at factories in both Argentina and Hannover, Germany for markets around the world, though VW has not said if it will ever see a dealer lot in the U.S. The Robust looks to be about the size of a Ford Ranger, which makes us hope that VW does decide to sell it in the U.S where the market for a small, efficient pickup is ripe for the taking. Check out more high-res spy shots of the 2010 Volkswagen Robust in the gallery below.


[Source: Brenda Priddy & Co.]

We've seen the spy shots and we've heard the rumors, and now Pickuptruck.com has sketched up its own interpretation of the 2010 Volkswagen "Robust" pickup truck. While the name is still unconfirmed, the pickup's front fascia is kind of a no-brainer. Expect VW to port over its corporate mug, complete with gaping maw, shallow air dam and headlamps that add a bit more sport to the Touareg's sedate lenses.

When the Robust goes on sale in 2010 it's likely to be available in both two- and four-door versions, powered by a slew of new common-rail diesel engines and possibly a gasoline-powered V6. Two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive variants are a distinct possibility, but some version of the Robust coming Stateside is unlikely.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]