Audi ute under consideration, electric power likely
German luxury brand Audi is considering adding a dual-cab ute to its model range – but there’s no guarantee it will ever see the light of day, beyond a motor show-bound concept car.
Audi could one day build an electric rival to the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, if internal studies currently underway prove fruitful.
Speaking to media and investors at the company’s annual earnings conference, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann hinted at a four ring-badged pick-up (as quoted by Autocar): “I can’t promise that we will do one, but we are looking into it.”
“Actually, we will present – not too far from now – maybe something”, hinting at the possibility for an imminent concept unveiling or an official confirmation of the model,” he added, hinting at a future concept car.
Should an Audi ute be given the green light, it would likely take at least three years to develop – given Audi’s unfamiliarity with the ute segment – and would therefore miss the brand’s 2025 deadline for the launch of its last petrol or diesel-powered model.
As a result, it would likely use electric propulsion which, depending on how large the ute would be, would see it rival everything from the Tesla Cybertruck, to mainstream-badged models from Ford, Chevrolet and Ram.
Less likely is an Audi-badged version of parent company Volkswagen’s new Amarok – twinned with the new Ford Ranger (as imagined at the top of this story) – given the lessons learnt through the industry’s last luxury-badged, dual-cab ute, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class.
Launched in 2017, the X-Class shares its core underpinnings with the Nissan Navara – but its body panels are unique, with a wider track (between the wheels), reinforced frame and suspension, unique interior, and from 2018, the option of a Mercedes-designed turbo-diesel V6 to sit alongside the existing Nissan 2.3-litre diesel four-cylinder.
However, the plug was pulled in mid-2020, citing slower than expected sales and a higher price than suitable for cost-conscious South American and African regions which saw it only become a “niche product which plays a great role in a few markets”.
Audi Australia has previously expressed interest in a ute should one be made available locally, with then-managing director Andrew Doyle telling media in 2016:
“Well… I don’t know actually [if Audi would offer a ute]. I don’t believe so, but there’s been a lot of rumours and discussions about that from the press in the past.”
“It depends if there is really a market there for a premium utility model like that. What I can say is that the brand has proven that as much as we stretch into different areas and different segments, we can have success.”
“If the formula is there to ensure its premium quality and premium performance, we’d have to do a global case study to see if that would be the case. It certainly would be an interesting addition to the Australian fleet,” he added.
Sitting alongside Audi CEO Duesmann in last night’s conference, Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark remarked: “I would not love to have [a pick-up] in the Bentley portfolio.”
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