Volkswagen tipped to bring ute

The tip-off came this week from the most unlikely of sources; a Frenchman travelling through Australia organising a rally for about 40 French bikers later this year.

Parisian Eric Massiet du Biest was in Brisbane this week at the end of a month-long 7500km reconnaissance from Perth for the cross-continental Rallye BMW GS Dundee in October.

The 46-year-old adventurer not only travels around the world organising adventure rallies, he also tests pre-production vehicles for manufacturers.

He has organised Michelin's 2007 Challenge Bibendum rally in China for environmentally sound vehicles and tested pre-production vehicles such as Renault's first SUV, the Koleos, in the deserts of California several years before it reached showrooms.

During an interview this week, Massiet du Biest let slip that he is organising a vigorous desert test for a pre-production German version of the HiLux. He would not say which manufacturer as he is sworn to secrecy.

Mercedes-Benz corporate communications senior manager David McCarthy and BMW corporate communications manager Toni Andreevski agreed that it would likely be VW.

"We'd like to (have a ute), but it's not us," McCarthy said.

Volkswagen Group Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said it was probably their Pickup which debuted as a concept at the Hanover Commercial Vehicles show in September.

The VW Pickup would add a fourth series (in addition to Caddy, T5 and Crafter) to the brand's range of light commercial vehicles.

It also means VW would be the first volume manufacturer in Europe to enter the one-tonne ute segment.

VW Commercial Vehicles CEO Stephan Schaller said Australia would be a key market for the ute, along with South America, South Africa and South East Asia.

Worldwide sales projections for the Pickup are about 100,000 units a year, with production to begin later this year.

Gehling said he did not have any more information available.

"As far as an on-sale date for Australia, I don't know but you could speculate it would more likely be in 2010 than this year," he said.

"I think it could quickly become one of the best sellers in the Volkswagen line-up and would certainly be a welcome addition to our model range."

Gehling said he could not speculate on engines, transmissions or other mechanical details.

However, with VW's success in the diesel market, it should be expected to come with diesel variants.

Massiet du Biest also said the vehicle he would be testing was four-wheel drive. However, the VW Pickup could also be available in two-wheel drive like its competitors.

"All I can say is that I'm sure that it would be a very competitive vehicle," Gehling said.

The pickup segment of the market last year increased 3.1 per cent for two-wheel drives and 0.7 per cent for four-wheel drives, while the total market suffered a 3.6 per cent setback.