► VW Atlas Tanoak concept
► MQB, V6 power and AWD
► Revealed at NYIAS 2018
VW took to the New York International Auto Show to unveil not one, but two Atlas-based concepts. The one you see here is the Atlas Tanoak pickup concept, designed to gauge US opinion to VW entering the market in the States.
Not only that, but VW hopes to make a whole model family out of its Atlas SUV. Unlike the Atlas Cross Sport concept, the Tanoak will remain a concept unless VW gets significant enough interest.
The Tanoak is a five-seat, double-cab pickup, is named after a species of beech tree found in California, and just happens to be the first pickup that uses the MQB platform. It uses a 276bhp 3.6-litre V6, comes with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system and an eight-speed automatic.
Like the Cross Sport, the Tanoak has illuminate grille lighting, a glowing VW badge and a ring of red light beaming off of the load bay lid, a 50mm increase in ride height compared to a regular Atlas SUV and a whole load of chunky off-road body cladding. There are 20-inch alloys, integrated exhausts and tow hooks aplenty.
Inside, it’s still familiarly VW but with a few concept car-like touches, including a squircle steering wheel, a yellow light partition that runs across the dashboard and a glossy centre console.
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