We get a lot of press releases coming across our desks here at Carscoops. Some of them contain news we’re eager to bring to your attention. Others do not. And then we got a release about hardtops available for the Volkswagen Amarok, which ordinarily would fall squarely in the latter category, but got us thinking: should Volkswagen make an SUV out of its pickup truck?

Now you may be thinking that pickup-based SUVs are old and outdated, but that’s not the case everywhere. Sure, models like the Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango and Nissan Pathfinder have long since moved away from their pickup underpinnings in favor of car-like unibody construction. All the while crossovers gain more ground over proper ladder-frame sport-utes. But the body-on-frame SUV isn’t dead yet.

Ford still makes the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator on a truck platform, as does General Motors the Tahoe/Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon/Escalade, Nissan the Armada and Infiniti QX80, and Toyota the 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, and Lexus GX and LX. And those are just some of the models sold in North America. Elsewhere around the world, truck buyers can get their hands on vehicles like the Ford Everest, Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Chevy Trailblazer (whose nameplate still lives on in other markets).

An SUV based on the Amarok would give Volkswagen a proper body-on-frame SUV to compete with models like those in markets (like Australia and South America) where those models are still popular. The finished product would likely look a lot like the Amarok with the hardtop pictured here, slotting in alongside car-based crossovers like the Tiguan and Touareg to bolster the German automaker’s 4×4 lineup. So what do you think, should VW make an Amarok-based SUV? Cast your vote in our poll below.

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