Volkswagen primes rugged 4x4 EV on Ford Ranger platform
Plans back on the table to develop electric version of VW Amarok's chassis for 'ID Ruggdzz' SUV
Volkswagen’s plan to launch an electric off-road SUV – known as the ID Ruggdzz – appears to be back on track, following confirmation that the ladder-frame chassis used by the new Amarok pick-up is being engineered to take an electric drivetrain.
This Ford-developed chassis, which is also used by the fourth-generation Ford Ranger pick-up, currently supports petrol and diesel as well as petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrains.
But in an interview with Autocar at the launch of the new Amarok in South Africa in December, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Carsten Intra confirmed that engineering aimed at accommodating a battery and electric motors within the Ford platform is ongoing, despite recent reports suggesting such plans had been abandoned.
“We’re looking at it together with Ford,” said Intra when asked about the possibility of full electrification of the Volkswagen Amarok’s ladder-frame chassis. “It’s still on the agenda,” he added.
Although Intra would not be drawn on the rumoured plans, Volkswagen is said to be considering adopting the electrified chassis, codenamed T6, for a new SUV model that is heavily related to the Amarok but styled in the mould of the ID Ruggdzz – a 4x4 SUV concept that has never been shown in public.
Such a move would mirror that of Ford, which uses the Ranger as the starting point for its Everest SUV, a seven-seat body-on-frame model not sold in the UK.
Plans back on the table to develop electric version of VW Amarok's chassis for 'ID Ruggdzz' SUV
www.autocar.co.uk