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Volkswagen goes full America with its truck concept

Volkswagen unveiled its Atlas-inspired truck and crossover concepts.

The Volkswagen automaker really wants you to know that it's building cars for America. In fact, at the New York Auto Show, it delivered a concept vehicle that might as well have had the Stars and Stripes painted on its side. Get your tailgate parties ready for the Atlas Tanoak truck.

Volkswagen's head of design Klaus Bischoff said that the truck is "built for America by Americans," in reference to its plant in Tennessee where the Tanoak would be built if the automaker decides to put it into production. Based on the Atlas MQB platform, the pickup looks more like it's ready for adventure than hauling hay and tools. To that end, the automaker called it a lifestyle utility vehicle.

The exterior does look rugged though (it's even got a hitch), and the bed is ready for you to throw in your quad, mountain bike or kayaks. Meanwhile, the interior caters to the fans of technology and luxury that enjoy the feeling of being pampered after a long day of experiencing the many splendors of the American outdoors.

Besides hoping to eventually have one of its vehicles seen at tailgate parties, Volkswagen also showed off its smaller crossover, the Atlas Cross Sport concept. It's 7.5 inches shorter than the production Atlas with room for five passengers and looks ready to take on the small-SUV market.

Although the truck is still an idea, the Atlas Cross Sport should go into production at the end of 2019. Meanwhile, pickup fans should hassle the automaker to make sure that Tanoak makes it into showrooms in the future. Because America.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from the 2018 New York Auto Show.