Classy Audi ute rendered

It’s no secret that Audi has had a high-class dual-cab ute on its radar, and although the trail for a premium pick-up has gone cold over the past couple of years, these unofficial renders should rekindle the fire.

Digital creator SRK Designs has mocked up their impression of what an Audi ute might look like – and perhaps unsurprisingly, the answer isn’t a stylised Volkswagen Amarok.

Instead, the German load-lugger in these digital renders looks more like an Audi Q7 SUV with shrunken rear doors and a tub in place of the boot.

There are no side steps, no sports bars and no all-terrain tyres to be found; just an elegant road-going tray-back that would look at home pulling a horse float along a gravel road or farm track.

Both these feats are entirely possible given the Q7 is rated to tow up to 3500kg, while VW regularly spruiks the off-road credentials of the related Touareg within the realms of a luxury monocoque-chassis SUV.

Our contacts at Audi Australia weren’t able to provide any detail as to whether a premium dual-cab program was still on the agenda at Ingolstadt.

We certainly hope so, and while it makes sense that Audi’s ute would draw from the Volkswagen Amarok – which in turn is based on the Ford Ranger – the company will have learnt from the mistakes Mercedes-Benz made with the short-lived Nissan Navara-based X-Class.

The closest thing to a ute we’ve seen officially from Audi was the 2023 Audi Activesphere concept, which blurred the lines between fastback SUV and pick-up truck with an innovative ‘active back’ rear-end.

“As a coupe that is as elegant as it is dynamic, it [Activesphere] features classic proportions and lines, but in just a few seconds the car transforms into a pick-up for transporting top-class sports gear,” the brand said at the time.

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