According to Autocar quoting Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, the automaker is seriously thinking about producing a pickup truck to compete with maxed-out Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux trims. We should be able to see its concept version soon.
When directly asked about the possibility of Audi adding a truck to its lineup, Duesmann said the company did not rule out such a possibility and that more specifics would follow soon. All in all, it does sound like a conceptual version of the pickup getting ready to debut at a show sometime soon.
Autocar believes the German carmaker could use its AI:Trail Concept from three years ago (see video) for the project. The AI:Trail was a futuristic all-electric off-roader with no production prospects, but we know that such fantasies bear fruit from time to time.
In the ongoing partnership between Volkswagen and Ford, producing an Audi truck on a Ford chassis also seems quite viable. For example, Volkswagen makes its Amarok model on the same platform as the recently launched Ford Ranger. The alleged Audi truck could share the architecture with these two vehicles, since Audi is also a part of VW Group.
Another hypothesis holds that Audi could choose to design the pickup on an innovative all-electric platform by Volkswagen. In theory, basing another production vehicle on the same tech as its predecessors would help return its initial development costs. Then again, it is all pure speculation until the automaker reveals its actual plans.