The head of Volkswagen in North America says the idea of an electric bakkie represents the “chance of a lifetime”, confirming the German automaker is “actively looking at” creating such a vehicle.

A high-ranking Volkswagen executive has confirmed the company is “actively” considering the option of building an all-electric bakkie, suggesting the segment is ripe for “some new ideas”.

Volkswagen Group of America CEO Scott Keogh told Business Insider a battery-powered pick-up is “something we’re actively looking at”, but added there was “nothing to actually report now”.

In the United States, Ford offers an all-electric F-150 dubbed the Lightning, while Chevrolet is poised to launch a battery-powered Silverado. Keogh’s comments suggest VW wants a piece of that growing pie.

“I think it’s the chance of a lifetime in this segment because electrification gives you a reset moment. It gives you a chance to bring some, let’s say, alternatives and some new ideas into this great segment,” he explained.

“I think a buyer would historically say, ‘I buy F-150, I buy Ram, I buy Silverado’. Now they might be saying, ‘I’m going to buy an electric one’. That reset moment gives a competitive chance to come in, whether it’s Rivian or whether it’s us.”

Of course, Ford owns a stake in Rivian (which builds the all-electric R1T bakkie), and Volkswagen has a strategic alliance with the Blue Oval brand. VW may well leverage its relationship with Ford to gain access to this platform, particularly should it wish to create a full-size pick-up to battle the likes of the aforementioned F-150 Lightning in the United States.

There is, however, also the option of creating a more compact electric bakkiebased on the upcoming second-generation Amarok, which in turn shares its platform with the new Ranger. Ford is thought to be planning both hybrid and fully electric versions of its latest Ranger, so this represents another opportunity for VW.

Finally, Volkswagen may also go the route of building an electric bakkie on its own MEB platform, though that would mean such a vehicle would be unibody (rather than ladder frame) in construction. Time will tell…