The Volkswagen pickup codenamed "Robust" has been caught testing again, this time in the U.S. They aren't too different from these spy shots, both sets showing that VW is not going for any kind of flash with its newest pickup. At one point, the regular cab version was speculated to have buttresses, but we'd be surprised if there was that much difference between it and the dual cab. This hauler is about nothing other than good, solid -- and probably cheap -- transportation. Even the name "Robust" will be changed by the time it's introduced, probably to something like Plain White Pickup.
High oil prices have snuffed out Volkswagen's plans to build a European-market pickup truck. The vast and versatile loading area of a pickup, while a selling point in the US, is seen by VW as a sales liability on Euro soil. The vehicle's sales potential didn't stand up to analysis by the automaker, which cited oil prices as the culprit for shifting market desires. The Volkswagen Robust is still underway, with the program ramping up to churn 90,000 pickups out of VW's Pacheco, Argentina plant starting in 2009. It looks like Europe will still be graced with funky working vehicles that take the place of our pickups.
We've seen the spy shots and we've heard the rumors, and now Pickuptruck.com has sketched up its own interpretation of the 2010 Volkswagen "Robust" pickup truck. While the name is still unconfirmed, the pickup's front fascia is kind of a no-brainer. Expect VW to port over its corporate mug, complete with gaping maw, shallow air dam and headlamps that add a bit more sport to the Touareg's sedate lenses.
When the Robust goes on sale in 2010 it's likely to be available in both two- and four-door versions, powered by a slew of new common-rail diesel engines and possibly a gasoline-powered V6. Two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive variants are a distinct possibility, but some version of the Robust coming Stateside is unlikely.
See that drawing in the right corner of the pic? That's an official VW render of the company's new pickup, internally called the Robust. It's hanging at an event called ExpoAgro in Argentina, where the truck will be built. The banner on the left says "The VW pickup for the field." VW isn't playing around with the model, either, having invested a billion pesos into its Pacheco factory to get ready for the vehicle's 2009 or 2010 launch.
The render presents a neat profile that looks low to the ground -- more ute than pickup really, much like the VW Rabbit pickup from almost three decades ago. We do find the rear sloping roof a bit odd, seeing that it would eat into quite a bit of bed space if the line continued into the bed. But it's just a render, so we don't want to read too much into it. With carmakers putting fake interiors in test mules nowadays, for all we know, the Robust render could also be a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl.
Despite what the truck in these photos looks like, it is not a Toyota Hilux rebadged by Volkswagen. No, according to The Car Connection, it's a Toyota Hilux body atop Volkswagen's upcoming Robust pickup. And before you VW fans get too excited, it is not intended for sale in the States. But truck shoppers in South America and Africa will be able to choose between a V6 or common rail diesel in both 2WD and 4WD versions.
