Spy Shots: VW "Robust" pickup

The Volkswagen pickup codenamed "Robust" has been caught testing again, this time in the U.S. They aren't too different from these spy shots, both sets showing that VW is not going for any kind of flash with its newest pickup. At one point, the regular cab version was speculated to have buttresses, but we'd be surprised if there was that much difference between it and the dual cab. This hauler is about nothing other than good, solid -- and probably cheap -- transportation. Even the name "Robust" will be changed by the time it's introduced, probably to something like Plain White Pickup. Thanks for the tip, Gavin!


[ Via: Wheels24 ]
[ Tag: pickup, pickup truck, pickup trucks, pickups, PickupTruck, PickupTrucks, robust, volkswagen, volkswagen robust, volkswagen robust pi..., volkswagen robust tr..., VolkswagenRobust, VolkswagenRobustPi..., VolkswagenRobustTr..., vw ]

Suzuki Carry drifter: it's O-KEI!

As Autoblog's resident kei car fanboy, I like to share news and links about the diminutive forbidden-fruit rides whenever something interesting pops on the radar, like yesterday. Today, it's just a photo, courtesy of the gang at Speedhunters. The tiny kei pickup is a Suzuki Carry, which, in the hands of a normal business owner, does precisely that. This one's obviously a wee bit more specialized though, as the rear wing and roll bar suggest. This little work truck's job is drifting. It might look wrong, but there's something so right about it. Who says you need triple-digit horsepower to have fun?

[ Via: Speedhunters ]
[ Tag: drifting, kei, kei drifter, KeiDrifter, suzuki carry, SuzukiCarry ]

Volkswagen kills plan for pickup in Europe

High oil prices have snuffed out Volkswagen's plans to build a European-market pickup truck. The vast and versatile loading area of a pickup, while a selling point in the US, is seen by VW as a sales liability on Euro soil. The vehicle's sales potential didn't stand up to analysis by the automaker, which cited oil prices as the culprit for shifting market desires. The Volkswagen Robust is still underway, with the program ramping up to churn 90,000 pickups out of VW's Pacheco, Argentina plant starting in 2009. It looks like Europe will still be graced with funky working vehicles that take the place of our pickups – vive la difference!

[ Via: Autoblog (Volkswagen) ]
[ Tag: volkswagen, volkswagen pick-up, volkswagen pickup, volkswagen pickup tr..., volkswagen robust, volkswagen robust pi..., volkswagen robust tr..., volkswagen truck, VolkswagenPick-up, VolkswagenPickup, VolkswagenPickupTr..., VolkswagenRobust, VolkswagenRobustPi..., VolkswagenRobustTr..., VolkswagenTruck ]

Autoblog Podcast #87

The Chicago Auto Show wasn't that eventful, but that's what we lead off Autoblog Podcast episode #87 with. The Challenger was the biggest deal, followed by the Denali XT, and then a bunch of inconsequential things. We did find ourselves talking about the Suzuki Equator and the Ford Transit Connect, too. We give you our first up close and personal impressions of the Challenger SRT-8 in this podcast. We also saw the VW Routan, which certainly doesn't conjure warm, fuzzy memories of Type IIs gone by. Chevy's Traverse calls into question the usefulness of Saturn's Outlook in the product lineup. Speaking of GM badge-engineering, we got word this week that Pontiac will not be getting a Trans Am companion to the Camaro, dang. Another disappointment is the rumor that Cerberus is going to let the Viper run down without rewinding the clock for a third generation. We wrap up by touching on the possibility that an Indian pickup could be the first diesel hybrid in the US, even though it's not even being imported yet, and we're sure that when it gets here, it'll generate even more hate than the new Acura RL. 42 minutes, that's it. Sorry it's a little late this week, it's all Alex's fault, I swear.
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[ Via: Autoblog (Suzuki) ]
[ Tag: acura, autoblog, autoblog podcast, AutoblogPodcast, challenger, chicago, denali, denali xt, DenaliXt, dodge, equator, firebird, gm, lambda, pickup, podcast, rl, routan, suzuki, trans am, transam, transit, xt, zeta ]

Mk1Amino!

Amino is more than just an organic compound (amine, really). It's also a favorite automotive suffix for people who've just sawed the back off of their vehicle and created a pickup bed where once there wasn't one. Short on information but holding a very intriguing picture in his hand, Dan Strohl at Hemmings has found what appears to be a very custom Rabbitamino. There was, of course, a pickup-truck Rabbit produced by Wolfsburg, but that came after the 1978 date code on the back of this particular slice of Kodachrome. Real Rabbit pickups had different doors and rear quarter panels than this one, and they also lacked the, ahem, third axle. Barring any kind of documentation, the best we can do is gaze longingly at the Chicklet-worthy orange and try to decipher yet another artifact from the halcyon days of the late 1970s when the smog ran thick and cars were weak.

[ Via: Hemmings ]
[ Tag: custom rabbit,custom volkswagen,CustomRabbit,CustomVolkswagen,rabbit pickup,rabbitamino,RabbitPickup,six wheel,six wheel rabbit,six wheeled,SixWheel,SixWheeled,SixWheelRabbit,vw rabbit,VwRabbit ]