VW Might Build an Off-Road Electric SUV Based on New Ford Ranger Pickup
A new report says VW is looking to modify Ford’s T6 ladder frame platform for an electric SUV.
In 2019, Volkswagen debuted two electric off-road concepts, the ID Buggy and the ID Ruggdzz (VW's naming convention is stuck in 1994) but both projects were scrapped in 2020 for more mass-market EVs. However, the Volkswagen ID Ruggdzz could return as a seven-seat electric SUV based on the Ford Ranger's T6 ladder frame chassis.
Autocar recently spoke to VW commercial vehicles boss Carsten Intra about working with Ford to modify the T6 platform to accommodate batteries and electric motors. “We’re looking at it together with Ford,” Intra told Autocar.
A seven-seat SUV based on the T6 platform wouldn't be unheard of because Ford already uses it for the seven-seat Everest SUV, which is sold in most markets outside of the U.S. However, converting the T6 platform to accommodate a big battery pack and at least two electric motors would require more work. While Volkswagen wouldn't say what modifications T6 would need, it did tell Autocar that the ID Ruggdzz would require at least a 110-kWh battery pack to accommodate its off-road and towing needs.
If there's any brand that Volkswagen would want to team up with for a ladder frame-based EV, it's Ford. The F-150 Lightning's P-platform ladder frame was modified to fit 98- and 131-kWh battery packs. So it stands to reason that Ford and VW can do the same with the T6.
This isn't the first time we've heard rumors of Volkswagen wanting to use Ford's T6 platform. In April 2022, there were rumors that Volkswagen was considering using T6 to build a U.S. market electric pickup truck, though those plans never materialized. That was also before Volkswagen announced the revival of Scout as an electric SUV brand.
It's clear Volkswagen wants to get into the rugged electric SUV/truck game, but nothing concrete has come of it just yet. There's been a lot of smoke surrounding an electric VW truck for the past couple of years and we've yet to see any fire.
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