Volkswagen-Ford Joint Venture May Spawn A US-Bound Pickup Truck CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home News Volkswagen-Ford Joint Venture May Spawn A US-Bound Pickup Truck

Volkswagen-Ford Joint Venture May Spawn A US-Bound Pickup Truck

Aug. 07, 2018 6:05 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Trucks / 5 Comments And Volkswagen thinks it will be better than the Mercedes X-Class. We count ourselves as fans of the Mercedes X-Class pickup truck which, despite our many pleas to Mercedes, probably will not be sold in the US market. Volkswagen seems to be less impressed with the X-Class because the company's Australian boss Michael Bartsch just threw some shade in Mercedes' direction. Australian outlet Motoring reports that Bartsch was being asked about a future Amarok-Ranger joint-project when the X-Class was brought up as a discussion topic. What followed was not kind to the Mercedes truck. Mercedes-Benz In reference to a potential shared platform between the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok, Bartsch said: "I would like to think that if there is a joint-venture done we would do a better job of differentiating the products between the two companies." This is an obvious jab at the X-Class, which is based on the same platform as the Nissan Navara. At $79,415 for the top-spec X 350d model, the X-Class is one of the most expensive trucks on sale in Australia. Bartsch said that "time will tell" if this pricing model will work and that "the market is fairly sophisticated and well educated and people are prepared to pay premiums for products that are premium and earn a premium, but I think ultimately people are also concerned about not being seen to be suckers." Volkswagen We would be excited for a VW-Ford joint project because it could potentially open the door for Volkswagen to finally sell one of its pickup trucks in the US. Volkswagen did tease us with a concept truck based on the Atlas SUV, but we doubt it will reach production. If the joint project with Ford does happen, Bartsch said it won't be until after the next generation of each truck goes on sale, which would be in the second half of the next decade. "It would be disingenuous to say that nothing is going on with Ford," Bartsch said. "But I am not in a position at the moment to say what might or might not be happening." While Volkswagen and Mercedes have a feud over their trucks, we simply wish that either company would bring one of these trucks to the US market. Volkswagen Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Volkswagen

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Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV Volkswagen Atlas Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top