Volkswagen To Show Tarok Pickup Concept at New York Auto Show
Volkswagen of America plans to show the Tarok pickup concept for the first time in the U.S. at the New York International Auto Show.
This compact unibody pickup was first seen at the Sao Paolo International Motor Show at the end of 2018 and is expected to enter production for the South American market in the near future. Although there are no plans to produce the vehicle for the U.S. market, the Tarok concept is being shown to gauge market reaction for a compact entry-level pickup.
Based on the MQB platform, the Tarok concept is a compact pickup that is 193.5 inches long, yet has the ability to carry loads up to 73.2 inches long thanks to an innovative design that allows the pickup bed to extend into the cab.
Alongside the Atlas, the Tarok concept is one of the largest MQB-based Volkswagen vehicles designed to date. The Tarok concept is 72 inches wide (without wing mirrors) and 66 inches high (without roof rails). The wheelbase is a comparatively long 117.7 inches, which leads to short overhangs of 36.0 inches at the front and 39.8 inches at the back.
The key to the Tarok concept’s versatility is a variable load area. The floor space can be enlarged not only by opening the tailgate, but also using a newly developed mechanism for folding down the bottom of the passenger cabin’s rear panel.
The Tarok concept design shows a close relationship with other Volkswagen SUVs, such as the Atlas and the new T-Cross. It has a tall hood, horizontal bars in the grille that run into the headlights, and LED headlights and Daytime Running Lights. Tarok also gets an underbody skid plate and a roof and A-pillars finished in gloss black.
The interior features a fully digital design for the instruments and air conditioning control system, and matches the expressive exterior in terms of style as well as color. A glass-covered 9.2-inch Infotainment system and a configurable Volkswagen Digital Cockpit are the central elements within the color-keyed instrument panel. These two elements create a continuous digital and networked cockpit, designed to help make use of a maximum range of online services and apps. Another clever feature is a speaker in the center console that can be removed and connected to a compatible smartphone via Bluetooth.
The Tarok Concept is powered by a 1.4-liter, 147-horsepower four-cylinder turbocharged and direct-injection TSI engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and permanent 4Motion all-wheel drive.
