Sao Paulo show: VW goes with Tarok

AN INNOVATIVE extendable load bed is a key point of difference for Volkswagen’s upcoming compact pick-up, the Tarok, that made its debut in near-production concept form at Brazil’s Sao Paulo motor show overnight.

 

The four-door dual-cab pick-up’s rear seats and rear panel fold flat to stretch the cargo tray up to the front seats, making the Tarok a versatile load lugger.

 

Even though the Tarok is based on the same car-focussed MQB front-wheel-drive platform as the Golf and Tiguan, the load-carrying capacity is said to be one-tonne – just a few kilos short of the Amarok 4x4’s 1033kg.

 

Volkswagen has not explained how exhaust fumes and dust will be kept from being drawn into the cabin through the open port, but it says the Tarok will be launched soon on the Brazilian market “with barely any changes” to the concept seen at Sao Paulo.

 

It also has confirmed that the Tarok is likely to be exported, saying “it has the potential to boost Volkswagen’s model range in other global markets”.

 

But as GoAuto reported last week, Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) is saying it “has no notion of Australian availability as yet”.

 

VGA general manager of corporate communications Paul Pottinger reiterated that position today, saying: “As it stands we see utes being about capacity, both under the bonnet and in the back.”

 

The Tarok will sit below the Argentinean-made Amarok workhorse in the Volkswagen range.

 

At five metres long, the Tarok is 254mm shorter than the Amarok, but VW says the smaller vehicle’s main attraction will be its appeal to customers who want a cross between an SUV and a ute.

 

The concept unveiled by VW head designer Klaus Bischoff in Sao Paulo has many SUV design elements lifted from other VW vehicles such as Tiguan.

 

A five-seater, the Tarok concept gets a panoramic sunroof, targa-style bar across the roof and a three-dimension LED lighting strip across the rear.

 

Inside, the dash has a coloured strip stretching from door to door, housing the instruments and central touchscreen. VW has hinted that this look will be extended to other models, describing it as “a new way forward for Volkswagen in the pick-up segment”.

 

The concept is powered by VW’s ubiquitous 1.4-litre turbocharged TSI four-cylinder engine capable of drinking Brazil’s ethanol fuel, but it has confirmed that the production version will open for business with a 110kW 2.0-litre TDI diesel.

 

The Tarok gets VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and six-speed automatic transmission.

 

When it hits the Brazilian market, the Tarok will go up against the Renault Dacia Duster Oroch and Fiat Toro.

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