Volkswagen plotting all-electric ute

Volkswagen has confirmed it is "actively looking at" expanding its fast-growing all-electric model line-up to include a pick-up.
 
Breaking the news that the Volkswagen ID range could soon feature a Ford F-150 Lightning alternative, Volkswagen Group of America boss Scott Keogh told Business Insider that a battery-electric pick-up would be an instant winner for the brand.
 
"I think it's the chance of a lifetime in this segment because electrification gives you a reset moment. It gives you a chance to bring some, let's say, alternatives and some new ideas into this great segment," he said.

 
Instead of explicitly confirming an electric pick-up was in the works, Keogh said that Volkswagen was "actively looking at, but nothing to actually report now".
 
He also said electrification would help level the playing field for Volkswagen against new electric pick-ups form Ford, Chevrolet, Rivian and the upcoming Tesla Cybertruck.
 
"I think a buyer would historically say, 'I buy F-150, I buy RAM, I buy Silverado.' Now they might be saying, 'I'm going to buy an electric one,'" he added. "That reset moment gives a competitive chance to come in, whether it's Rivian or whether it's us."

 
Keogh was careful not to discuss any of the options available to the German brand, but one possible solution would be to team up with Ford to use the Lightning platform to base a VW-branded truck.
 
Ford and VW already have a technical alliance in Europe that will see the Blue Oval use the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform.

 
The soon-to-be-launched 2023 Volkswagen Amarok, meanwhile, is heavily based on the latest second-gen (P703) Ford Ranger that still sits on an updated version of the Australian-developed Ford T6.2 ladder-frame architecture.
 
No timeframe has been given for when an all-electric VW pick-up might surface.