Caught On Camera: Unseen Volkswagen Pickup Truck Testing In Brazil, Possible First National With MQB Hybrid Platform Prepared For Electrification

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 19/08/2025 at 12:55

Flagra revela inédita picape da Volkswagen em testes no Brasil e consolida investimentos bilionários no polo industrial de São José dos Pinhais.

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Caught On Camera: Unveiled Volkswagen Pickup Truck in Testing in Brazil. Mid-Sized Model Expected to Use Leaf Springs and May Debut Hybrid Platform from the Brand, Targeting Fiat Toro and Ram Rampage.

An unveiled Volkswagen pickup was spotted testing on the streets of São Bernardo do Campo (SP), near the Anchieta factory. The prototype, still camouflaged under the SUV Tiguan body, indicates that the German brand is advancing in the development of its first mid-size truck in Brazil, with plans to compete directly in the market against Fiat Toro and Ram Rampage.

The images reinforce that the news could be the first national vehicle from Volkswagen to utilize the MQB Hybrid platform, designed to accommodate electrification and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The choice of Paraná as a production hub is also no coincidence: the São José dos Pinhais plant has previously worked with the MQB base in models like the Golf and has the experience to support more sophisticated projects.

Robust Suspension and Focus on Payload Capacity

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The sighting shows that the unveiled Volkswagen pickup is expected to adopt a rear suspension with a rigid axle and leaf springs, a solution more focused on robustness and payload capacity. This system is common in larger pickups and also in compact models like the Fiat Strada, but differs from the Toro and Rampage, which use independent multilink suspension, more comfortable for urban use.

According to industry analysts, the choice of leaf springs indicates that Volkswagen is betting on durability and greater work capacity, aiming to attract customers who need brute strength rather than just comfort. This reinforces the strategy to position the model between the Saveiro and the Amarok, creating a new market segment for the brand.

MQB Hybrid Platform: A Bet on Electrification

The use of the MQB Hybrid platform represents an important advancement. Unlike the MQB-A0, limited to compact vehicles and unprepared for electrification, the new base allows for the development of medium, hybrid models with enhanced onboard technology.

This strategy positions the unveiled Volkswagen pickup as a product aligned with global mobility trends, with the possibility of receiving hybrid versions in the future, in addition to offering state-of-the-art safety and driver assistance systems.

Development and Production in Brazil

The project had already been tested previously under the Virtus sedan body. Now, using the Tiguan body as a test mule, Volkswagen is evaluating suspension, powertrain, and other technical elements of the final model. The choice of São Bernardo do Campo and São José dos Pinhais highlights the importance of Brazil as a development center for the brand.

According to the company, the announced investments for Paraná include modernization of the production line and preparation for hybrid models. This paves the way for the unveiled Volkswagen pickup to be produced with a focus on the Latin American market, but with potential for export.

The arrival of an unveiled Volkswagen pickup promises to shake up the mid-size truck segment in Brazil. With leaf springs, work robustness, and potential for electrification, the model is expected to directly compete with Fiat Toro and Ram Rampage, expanding the brand’s offering in the market.

And you, do you believe that Volkswagen made the right choice by betting on robustness and hybrid technology to compete with the Toro and Rampage? Would you buy this pickup if the price is competitive? Leave your opinion in the comments.

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Caught On Camera: Unseen Volkswagen Pickup Truck Testing In Brazil, Possible First National With MQB Hybrid Platform Prepared For Electrification

Caught On Camera: Unveiled Volkswagen Pickup Truck in Testing in Brazil. Mid-Sized Model Expected to Use Leaf Springs and May Debut Hybrid Platform from the Brand, Targeting Fiat Toro and Ram Rampage.

Robust Suspension and Focus on Payload Capacity

MQB Hybrid Platform: A Bet on Electrification

Development and Production in Brazil

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Peugeot publicly acknowledged the errors of the PureTech engine, which caused serious failures in hundreds of thousands of cars, and introduced the new Turbo 100 as a definitive solution, a 1.2 turbo tested for over 3 million kilometers that replaces the faulty belt with a more durable chain.

Caught On Camera: Unseen Volkswagen Pickup Truck Testing In Brazil, Possible First National With MQB Hybrid Platform Prepared For Electrification

Caught On Camera: Unveiled Volkswagen Pickup Truck in Testing in Brazil. Mid-Sized Model Expected to Use Leaf Springs and May Debut Hybrid Platform from the Brand, Targeting Fiat Toro and Ram Rampage.

Robust Suspension and Focus on Payload Capacity

MQB Hybrid Platform: A Bet on Electrification

Development and Production in Brazil

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Four times faster than the Concorde, capable of taking passengers from New York to London in less than an hour at Mach 5.5, and with an engine that switches from turbojet to ramjet mid-flight at Mach 3.5, the Hermeus Quarterhorse went from paper to its first flight in just 19 months.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

She started by collecting oyster shells from restaurants and today she has already accumulated more than 10 tons to restore reefs, recover coastal habitats, and demonstrate how a common waste can become a tool for ocean conservation.

SpaceX will dock a $843 million vehicle to the International Space Station to push a nearly 420-ton laboratory against the atmosphere and make the debris fall in a controlled manner into the ocean.

Peugeot publicly acknowledged the errors of the PureTech engine, which caused serious failures in hundreds of thousands of cars, and introduced the new Turbo 100 as a definitive solution, a 1.2 turbo tested for over 3 million kilometers that replaces the faulty belt with a more durable chain.

Automatic cars become ‘cheap’ in Brazil, and models from Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, and Honda appear for R$ 65,000 with up to 120 hp, CVT transmission, 482 liters of trunk space, keyless entry, and six airbags to tackle traffic without a clutch.

Honda revives a classic from Brazilian streets with a new name, TFT panel, and reprogrammed engine in the 2027 lineup; see the first impressions of the CB500 Hornet, which arrives with 49.6 hp, 4.5 kgf.m torque, 6-speed gearbox, 175 kg, and Showa suspension on Brazilian streets.

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