With the recent success of the Honda Ridgeline, companies like GM and Toyota are looking closely (in fact, very closely) at their own light-duty versions of the pickup truck. And, if there's money to be made, it's only a question of time before the Europeans get into the game. BMW's been playing with the idea of a pickup version of the X5 since its release in 2000. We even published a few renderings of possible Mercedes-Benz and BMW crossover trucks (November/December 2004). Five years ago, when VW showed a "concept" pickup truck (all Touareg from the B-pillar forward) with a "concept" V-10 turbo-diesel, VW spokespersons said they couldn't imagine doing something this odd. Of course, the Touareg and V-10 are a reality, so it makes sense that the pickup will eventually follow. And if VW makes it for the highly profitable U.S. market, you can bet Porsche will try to get in on the deal with a modified version of the same platform.
Volkswagen Touareg-based pickup
With that in mind, we've asked Mark Stehrenberger to revisit the idea of a VW and Porsche pickup truck. In both cases, he felt the manufacturers would want to go sportier than the Honda Ridgeline--and even further away from the traditional half-ton work truck. We're not sure how many on-the-fence European car buyers are waiting for a precision-built high-performance truck, but there may be a niche for the exclusive top-speed crowd if Porsche decides to take the risk. Today, the SUV and pickup world (with the notable absence of the Ford Lightning) is certainly enjoying something of a power and performance renaissance--we've even dedicated this issue to the topic. It'd sure be nice to see another 500-horsepower sport truck to give the Dodge Ram SRT-10 some competition. Here's to the dream.