2010 Volkswagen Robust Pickup Spotted With Grille

The quick shutters at KGP got more photos of the 2010 VW Robust, this time showing much more of that robust grille action than we've seen before. Apparently, this design is similar to what is being considered for the 2009 Golf/Rabbit (no shock there). There has been some back-and-forth on what this Volkswagen truck will end up being (Taro, posisbly), but what we currently think is that the new VW pickup will hit showrooms as a 2010 model and will be built in Hanover, Germany and Argentina. Full spy report below the jump.

VW Robust Spy Report

Volkswagen's new pickup has been photographed again, this time climbing mountains in Austria. Our latest look catches the truck with its grille-work exposed for the first time. While this truck prototype is still thoroughly covered, comparing this prototype with spy shots of the sixth-generation Golf reveals a real sense of the VW styling DNA that will be employed.

VW's new truck—equally rumored to be named Robust or Taro when it comes online in 2010—is scheduled to be produced in Argentina and Germany for global exportation. So will VW's new pickup reach the U.S. market? That is still an open question that has yet to be answered by VW management. This VW's size looks like it straddles the ground between the Ford Ranger and the F-150, so its reasonably-sized footprint makes sense in today's more fuel-conscious U.S. market. That fact makes a yes vote for the U.S. more likely, but probably still a bit of a long-shot.