Among an assortment of new cars, crossovers and concepts that will fill up the Volkswagen stand at this week's New York International Auto Show, plenty of attention will likely be focused on one dubbed the Tarok.
VW currently offers pickups in a number of global markets, but it hasn't played in the segment in the U.S. since dropping a truck based on its old Rabbit hatchback in 1984. But company officials have clearly been reading the tea leaves, especially as the American market for midsize trucks has staged a rapid turnaround since mid-decade.
Volkswagen first teased the possibility of reentering the U.S. pickup market at the 2018 New York auto show unveiling the Tanoak concept based on its three-row Atlas sport utility vehicle. Despite its diminutive size, the Tarok is designed to handle a payload of up to 73.2 inches, however, slightly longer than what many of the current crop of midsize trucks can fit in their bed. To pull that off, VW explained, the rear seats, along with the panel that normally separates the passenger compartment from the cargo bed, fold away, extending the cargo space.
How serious the automaker is about getting back in the pickup segment is uncertain, though Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen of America, told CNET's Roadshow last month that"Without a doubt, the biggest open space [in the VW lineup] is pickup. Without a doubt."