VW Group CEO says electric utes a ‘good idea’

VOLKSWAGEN Group CEO Herbert Diess has conveyed his desire to see the brand produce an  electric pick-up truck during a recent “Ask Me Anything” live chat session hosted by Reddit. 

In addition to revealing added capabilities for the ID4 compact crossover, Mr Diess discussed the importance of Lidar (light detection and ranging) in the development of autonomous-driving capabilities, the prospects of battery-electric Audi and Bentley limousines, and even mooted the return of a Beetle- or Kombi-styled “emotional car” based on the Group’s MEB electric platform.

Redditors submitted more than 1000 questions for Mr Diess to answer during last week’s “Ask Me Anything” session, but his responses were extremely limited.

Mr Diess’ offhand comment about the possibility of a Ford Ranger-based electric Amarok, or even a larger VW-badged pick-up –  likely to badged as the Atlas EV – to challenge the F-150 Lightning or Chevrolet Silverado EV, piqued the interest of users signed into the live chat. 

For now, the remark proves nothing, except to demonstrate that the Volkswagen Group is at least open to the idea of competing in the electrified full-size pick-up space.

Ford Motor Company, whose Ranger utility will share its platform with the upcoming Volkswagen Amarok, said last year that it was considering an electrified version of its ute. 

At the time, Ranger chief engineer Ian Foston said the ute was “future proofed” for hybridisation – and full electrification, which raises the likelihood that a Ranger Lightning will come to fruition. 

Given Ford’s sizable investment in the electrification of its fleet – and Volkswagen’s partnership within the Ranger program – it’s not inconceivable that an Amarok EV may be in the works.

During the session, Mr Diess also revealed details of a future over-the-air update for the brand’s ID.4 compact crossover, which will gain additional onboard capabilities over the coming months. 

Mr Diess wrote that the ID.4 was slated to receive Plug & Charge and Auto Hold functionality, as well as higher-capacity on-board charging capabilities as part of the software update. He added that he had looked forward to the commencement of ID.4 production in the United States (Volkswagen’s production facility in Chattanooga recently came online).

When questioned about electric products spanning multiple brands within the Group, Mr Diess said that both Audi and Bentley were developing battery-electric large sedans and that VW was considering electric-powered versions of what he called “emotional cars”, such as the Beetle. 

He flagged the Kombi-inspired ID.Buzz microbus as the brand’s “first priority” in the area, before adding that “many other emotional cars are possible on our scalable MEB platform”. VW is expected to show a production version of its all-electric ID.Buzz on March 9.

When asked what he thought the automotive industry would look like 25 years from now, Mr Diess was circumspect, believing advancements in lidar technology and autonomous driving systems would rid the world of vehicular collisions.

“Twenty-five years is very difficult to predict. Advancements in technology are coming fast. My guess is that all cars will be able to drive autonomously and will be very safe (because) there will probably be no more accidents – at all. They’ll be emissions-free and very comfortable cars that will take you wherever you want to go and whenever you want to go,” he said.

“Still, there will be precious brands for different customer preferences, and cars will remain the most important means of transport. But totally safe, convenient, and sustainable.”