Startup life has ruined me, so I'll never be able to believe such an origin story anymore and always assume it's something that PR/marketing has made up.
It’s a great move. Of the main VW brands I can’t think of one that I would associate with rugged vehicles. SUVs, sure, but not pickup trucks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Which is still screwing up the mini truck market in the US to this day :(