Global executive ends rumors about unprecedented model and says focus will be on fighting the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class
Audi has put an end to speculation about its entry into the pickup segment. The position was made official by the brand’s global CEO, Gernot Döllner, who classified the production of a vehicle with a bucket as “highly unlikely”. In an interview with the Australian press, the executive was categorical in defining the company’s priorities: “A pickup is the last concept I would imagine being an Audi”.
Döllner’s statement reflects a strategy focused on preserving brand identity, to the detriment of the search for volume at any cost. According to the executive, although the pickup segment has high global demand, Audi does not intend to compete for space in a category that could dilute the perception of sophistication of its products. “We have to choose our battlefields carefully,” he stressed.
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The decision draws attention to the industrial facilities that Audi would have at its disposal. Belonging to the Volkswagen Group, the brand could, in theory, share VW’s pickup platform or use the basis of the future electric pickup from Scout — the American brand resurrected by the group. However, the board in Ingolstadt chose not to go down that route.
Behind the scenes, the commercial failure of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class — a pickup truck based on the Nissan Frontier that was discontinued early — serves as a warning for luxury brands trying to venture into the work and leisure segment.
As an alternative to expand the portfolio without hurting the company’s DNA, Audi is evaluating the development of a robust and high-end SUV, positioned above the current Q7 and Q8. The proposal would be to create a direct competitor to luxury off-road icons such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Land Rover Defender, while maintaining the premium aura without entering the utilitarian terrain of pickup trucks.
