The Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup was a unique panel that stayed in the market for a short period of time, but don’t let its short lifespan fool you because this truck had plenty to offer. There were two trims available for the Rabbit, the LX, and the Sportstruck, and came with two engine options, a 1.6-liter diesel engine, and a 1.7-liter petrol revving engine. The Rabbit Pickup was a compact ride, the diesel engine of the Rabbit was very efficient while the petrol engine was a bit more powerful. And with its compact size and wide bed, it was pretty much perfect for cargo hauling around town. And sadly this truck could not catch up to the market, there might be several reasons behind it, but whatever the reason is the Rabbit remains a unique and interesting vehicle.
The North American Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup
The Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup also known as Caddy in Europe and around the world and it was launched to rival the expansionism of Toyota, Nissan, and Honda in North America. This little truck hit the markets in 1979 and stayed in it 1984 until it got discontinued. It was built on the same Group A1 platform as the MK1, it was more or less a Mk1 but without 5 doors and instead with a small truck bed. As it was mentioned earlier that the truck was available in trims, the LX trim and the Sportstruck trim, also there were two engine options as well the 1.6-liter diesel which pumped out 52 horsepower, and the 1.7-liter petrol which pumped out 78 horsepower. The Rabbit Pickup had square headlights compared to the round ones in Europe, The diesel one came with 5-speed transmission while the petrol came with 4-speed transmission. The Rabbit Pickups’s history is rooted in disaster and it all began when Chrysler built a plant in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Well despite its short lifespan The Rabbit Pickup remains a very interesting vehicle.
The Story of the Rabbit in Rest Of The World
The Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup was known as Caddy in Europe and the Rest of the World, The truck was first launched in 1982 and was manufactured in Volkswagens plant which was in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The production of it kept going from 1982 to 1992. The Rabbit Pickup was based on the MK1 Volkswagen Golf and it had a loading bay of 1.83m long, which gave the truck good versatility for its size. There were period options that included a tall fiberglass hardtop that turned it into a small van. The Caddy name was first used when the car was launched in Europe in 1982, and it was never used in North America. The Caddy is a panel van and a leisure activity vehicle that was produced by the Volkswagen Group in the 1980s.
What about the Rabbit Pickup now
The Caddy has come a long way since its early days as the Rabbit Pickup. And with each new generation, the truck grew in size, style, and sophistication as well. With more power output maxing out at 170 horsepower and several new ranges of trims to choose from, the Caddy was hitting its stride, but the best was yet to come. The fourth generation of the Caddy got rolled into the scene looking sleeker than ever and also more modern. Unfortunately for American buyers, the Caddy is still not available for sale.
