Volkswagen Eyeing U.S. Van and Truck Market: Report

Move over Chevrolet, Ram and Ford?

It’s hard to say if American van and truck builders have anything to worry about after the head of Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles division publicly mused about jumping into the U.S. market.

According to Reuters, the potential for future sales has the automaker considering a stateside foray, given the booming sales of its commercial products overseas.

“Orders are at a level that some would wish for,” said Eckhard Scholz, chief executive of the automaker’s commercial vehicles division, at a German trucks show last week. He added that the U.S. is “a highly interesting market.”

Through August, Volkswagen truck and van sales rose 8.2 percent compared to the same period last year, totaling 308,500 units worldwide. Last month saw a 25 percent sales increase, with 35,500 vehicles sold.

When asked about marketing its trucks and brands in the U.S., Scholz said, “A lot of things come to mind but at the moment I have nothing concrete to say.”

Overseas, Volkswagen markets a number of vans and the recently restyled Amarok body-on-frame pickup. Bringing any of those vehicles to the U.S. would present a number of challenges, not the least of which is the dominance of other players in the market.

The company’s year-old diesel emissions scandal has stigmatized the brand. That doesn’t bode well for Volkswagen, as most of its commercial and trucks models contain diesel powerplants, including the next-generation 3.0-liter V6 TDI in the Amarok.

The automaker’s manufacturing footprint in the U.S. isn’t great, with a single assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Nor does it have much cash to throw around, given its recent multi-billion-dollar emissions settlement with U.S. customers and regulators.

Vehicles imported from Europe would be subject to the much-loathed “chicken tax,” assuming VW doesn’t mirror Ford by installing backseats and windows in its vans (slated for removal upon arrival). U.S.-bound vehicles assembled at its Mexican plants would avoid the tax, but Volkswagen’s bean counters would need to weigh the risks. The automaker wants surefire monkey makers in its bid to turn around a U.S. sales slump.

Overseas, Volkswagen’s vans include the Golf-based Caddy van, the venerable Transporter, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter-based Crafter.

[Image: Volkswagen AG]