The third-generation Amarok pick-up will have “multiple possible uses” when it goes on sale in late 2022, with buyers promised “clear Volkswagen DNA” despite it being jointly-developed with Ford.
Two weeks after the Blue Oval pulled the covers off its latest Ranger – the vehicle the Amarok has been engineered alongside – Volkswagen has released a set of images previewing the fruits of its labour.
The two car manufacturing giants announced a wide-ranging ‘global alliance’ back in 2019 and at the time confirmed it was their intention to start work on several projects from electric cars to commercial vehicles. Both the Ranger and Amarok will be built at the former’s Silverton factory in South Africa.
Developed extensively by Volkswagen’s European and Australian arms, the new Amarok is purported to have “significantly more driver assistance systems” and connectivity options, on top of “innovations that haven’t been seen before in this segment” to make the ownership experience as easy as possible.
No technical information has been released by Volkswagen, although a V6 diesel looks set to remain on the cards, with the venture with Ford paving the way for a potential plug-in hybrid model further down the line. And although the two images reveal little about the exterior styling of the Amarok – which is shown on a wildlife preservation expedition – it is still instantly recognisable as such on the basis bosses have settled on an evolutionary design for it.
“The striking front, and above all the defining X design clearly distinguish the new Amarok and emphasise its claim to be leading the way,” said Albert-Johann Kirzinger, Volkswagen’s Head of Commercial Vehicle design. “We’ve given the strength and power of the new Amarok an unambiguous expression – with clear Volkswagen DNA, inside and out and this shows the confidence of the model.”
On the inside, the cabin is more upmarket in appearance than the existing model and is based around a new dashboard, Volkswagen’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument binnacle, and the brand’s latest 3-spoke steering wheel. Some physical switches remain, although most car functions look set to be operated via the central infotainment system that is common to other models in the firm’s range.
