Volkswagen Australia has quietly dropped the sole manual variant of its redesigned Amarok, citing insufficient demand among initial orders.
“Small quantities of the Amarok Core manual were available and brought in,” said a spokesperson for Volkswagen Australia.
“Due to overwhelming preference for the automatic, we have decided to discontinue the manual.”
The company didn’t confirm just how many were brought in, but a quick search of classifieds sites reveals only a small handful of vehicles in dealer stock.
The Core TDI405 manual was the most affordable Amarok, priced at $50,990 before on-road costs.
It used a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 125kW of power and 405Nm of torque, mated with a four-wheel drive system with selectable 2H, 4H and 4L modes.
This same powertrain is still available with a six-speed automatic, priced at $52,990 before on-road costs.
The Amarok is also offered with a bi-turbo 2.0-litre diesel four-cylinder with 154kW and 500Nm, a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 with 184kW and 600Nm, and a 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four with 222kW and 452Nm.
These powertrains all use a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The Amarok’s platform-mate, the new-generation Ford Ranger, arrived here in 2022 without a single manual option despite the availability of three-pedal options in the previous-generation line-up.
Manual options across rival utes’ line-ups are typically limited to lower-spec models, though some utes in this segment – the GWM Ute and Jeep Gladiator – don’t offer one at all.
