Volkswagen Pickup hits the beach

This cool-looking Volkswagen Pickup has been confirmed for production and could be on UK roads by the end of 2009.

Volkswagen Pickup slide show

The market for small pickup trucks has grown rapidly in the UK, and the Volkswagen will compete with the Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Hilux and Nissan Navara.

Despite being called a concept the practical people’s pickup looks like a nearly finished design with a fully functional interior.

Power will come from the latest Volkswagen turbo diesel engines, and are expected to have emissions lower than 180g/km.

The body measures 5.18 metres in length and 1.9 metres wide and has four doors and four seats as standard.

And, the rear loading bay has been designed to take a standard European pallet sideways to make it practical for industry use.

It’s instantly recognisable as a new Volkswagen thanks to its wide front grille and headlights which mimic the Volkswagen Scirocco and new Volkswagen Golf.

Volkswagen Pickup slide show

The Volkswagen Pickup, unveiled this week in Germany, features a Search and Rescue pack designed after consultation with emergency services and lifeguards.

It features flashing lights, GPS, CB radios, off-road tyres and wheels, compass, flashlights, defibrillator, binoculars, life jackets, rescue floats, fire extinguishers, blankets and tools.

The Volkswagen Pickup will be built at Volkswagen’s Pacheco plant in Argentina and has been designed for sale in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.

Designers and engineers have been using the codename ‘Robust’ while working on the pickup, but it’s unclear if this will be the final name given to the model.

Check out this video of the latest Volkswagen Golf in action: