Volkswagen Commercial has once again teased the new, second-generation Amarok ute ahead of its full premiere around the middle of 2022 and expected Australia arrival in early 2023.
The company hasn’t released a heck of a lot more information beyond what we already knew, other than to give us a look at its rear three-quarter view.
Looking at the blue Amarok teaser sketch, don’t expect any massive stylistic differences compared to the Ford Ranger on which it’s to be based – pronounced fender flares and snow tyres on this version notwithstanding.
Amarok 
Ranger
The new heavily Aussie-developed Amarok will be 100mm longer and 40mm wider than the current version (which is already wider than most).
Volkswagen hasn’t detailed what will power the Amarok, other than to say it’ll sport a few TDI diesels including a V6.
It’s still not clear whether the diesel V6 will be the Ford unit from the new Ranger or a reworked version of the outgoing Amarok V6’s in-house diesel, which makes up 90 per cent of its sales here. We’re speculating the former.
Ford has confirmed a plug-in hybrid Ranger will emerge down the track, but it’s unclear if Volkswagen will follow suit.
Volkswagen has clearly made some changes to the interior to differentiate it from the Ford, and says it’s focused on making it feel as “premium” as possible. But as the VW sketch (left) and Ranger photo show, there are some similarities too, portrait touchscreen included.
“The uncluttered architecture, the elements designed in a machine-like fashion, the clear, taut surfaces and a particularly high-quality cockpit raise the Volkswagen DNA to a new level and emphasise the Amarok’s right to claim premium vehicle status,” reckons head of design Albert-Johann Kirzinger.
Amarok 
Ranger
The front end appears to drag the current car’s look into line with the wider Volkswagen range, with lights that take inspiration from those of the plus-sized Atlas SUV sold in the USA and China. The grille and detailing look tougher than the road-biased looks of the Atlas, however.
“What you see here is very much a Volkswagen,” said Ryan Davies, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia national sales manager.
Amarok 
Ranger
“The Amarok has genuine Volkswagen DNA,” he added. “This is the car our designers both Melbourne and in Europe have been working on tirelessly over the last few years, to come up with a car that expresses what we know are the absolute attributes of Volkswagen.”
Volkswagen has previously told CarExpert it has “for the past two years had a team from Germany based in Melbourne developing the generation-two Amarok” along the Ford Ranger global development hub based here.
MORE: Volkswagen deeply embedded in Ranger development program since 2016
