If you think pickup trucks are now only popular in the Philippines because of their tax exemption in our territory, you’re mistaken. The vehicle type is also enjoying some sort of resurgence in other markets around the globe. Like Brazil, for instance. What you see here is the latest concept vehicle from Volkswagen, unveiled at the ongoing São Paulo International Motor Show. This is called the Tarok, which continues the German automaker’s tradition of giving its cars weird-sounding names is the second concept pickup to be based on VW’s modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform after the Atlas Tanoak back in March.

According to Volkswagen, the Tarok is production-ready and should find itself on the assembly line very soon. And when the manufacturer builds it, the final version will be “almost unchanged.” This pickup is being aimed primarily at the Brazilian market for “the near future.” VW claims that this concept was created from scratch, which means it’s not just a recycled show car based on an existing model (or another concept vehicle).

The Tarok measures 4,914mm long, which places it right in the middle of the smaller Saveiro (3,892mm) and the bigger Amarok (5,191mm) in Volkswagen’s pickup portfolio in Brazil. While the concept version has a 1.4-liter gasoline TSI engine worth 148hp, the production model will be released with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel TDI motor that’s also rated at 148hp.

One highlight of the Tarok is its “digitalized” interior, which allows passengers to seamlessly connect their gadgets to the vehicle and also lets them enjoy the cabin’s fully digital instruments, air-conditioning and infotainment system.

But perhaps the Tarok’s pièce de résistance is its extendable cargo bed. Volkswagen calls this the variable loading area concept, in which “the floor space can be enlarged not only by opening the tailgate, but also by using a newly developed mechanism for folding down the bottom of the passenger cabin’s rear panel.”

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Will Volkswagen bring this stylish pickup to our market? There’s this part in the press statement that gives us hope: “The lifestyle-oriented pickup also has the potential to enhance the Volkswagen model range in other markets around the world.” Sounds good enough for us at this point.