An Audi bakkie could be interesting

South Africa has really developed a huge fan base for bakkies, and since Mercedes-Benz and Renault are both hard at work readying bakkies that might taste the South African sunshine some time next year, one Audi Australia executive thinks it could be an “interesting” thought to have an Audi bakkie.

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Managing director Andrew Doyle entertained the idea of a Volkswagen-based ute in a recent interview, saying: “If the formula is there to ensure its premium quality and premium performance, we’d have to do a global case study to see if that would be the case,” said Doyle in the interview. “It certainly would be an interesting addition to the Australian fleet.”

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With the increase in sales of cars like A3, A5, and TT in the market, and the continued growth of the Volkswagen Amarok pickup, the possibility for success is definitely there.
As far as competition is concerned, Mercedes-Benz is expected to bring its Nissan Navara-based pickup to market in the next year.

Meanwhile, others, such as BMW and Jaguar, have no plans to bring any competition to the market any time soon. The big question for Audi is, do buyers want a luxury bakkie?

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“It depends if there is really a market there for a premium utility model like that,” continued Doyle. “What I can say is that the brand has proven that as much as we stretch into different areas and different segments, we can have success.”