Volkswagen gives first glimpse of new-gen Amarok

VOLKSWAGEN has provided the first look at its new-generation Amarok pick-up, showing a single teaser sketch that gives away some design cues for the mid-size ute that is expected to hit Australian showrooms in 2022.

Revealed at Volkswagen Group’s annual media conference in Germany this week, the sketch is the first tangible evidence of the partnership forged between Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and the Ford Motor Company.

The new Amarok will be based on the same platform as the next-generation T7 Ranger, with Ford’s Australian-based Asia-Pacific Product Development Centre leading the program.

The teaser sketch shows a bold, evolutionary design for the Amarok, with a boxy front end that evokes the styling of its SUV stablemates while also drawing some parallels to Mitsubishi and its ‘dynamic shield’ grille.

From the front, the new Amarok features squared-off headlights similar in design to the Tiguan, Touareg and North American Atlas, with a seamlessly integrated upper grille that flows out of the headlights and across the front of the vehicle.

The lower half of the grille is where the comparisons to the updated Triton are seen, with a diagonally oriented, V-shaped grey-silver trim element on either side of the front fascia providing an almost X-shaped design motif not unlike the Triton, Pajero Sport and other Mitsubishi offerings.

While the design sketch is not necessarily drawn to scale, the Amarok features a particularly tall front grille and bumper that will likely be scaled down for the production version.

The boxy theme continues along the side of the vehicle with a square-looking silhouette and flared wheelarches complete with black cladding, while the tub of the dual-cab pick-up features sports bar-like enhancement.

One other main point gathered from the design sketch is the off-road readiness of the Amarok, with a number of accessories that could point to a top-spec variant to rival the Ranger Raptor.

The Amarok also features tow hooks at the bottom of the front bumper, along with what looks to be an integrated winch, an underbody bash plate and an apparent aluminium control arm for the independent front suspension with yellow coil springs, suggesting the possibility of an enhanced suspension set-up.

Chunky BF Goodrich tyres are also present, which are the same brand as the 33-inch rubber fitted on the Ranger Raptor.

Neither Volkswagen nor Ford have detailed how much sharing of components will take place between Amarok and Ranger, however Volkswagen is currently well placed with its turbo-diesel engine range which consists of a 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit good for up to 132kW/420Nm in current guise, as well as a 3.0-litre V6 producing up to 190kW/580Nm in the top-spec variant.

There is also the probability the T7 platform will be engineered to suit electrified powertrains, given pick-up platforms are typically put in use for around a decade.

If Volkswagen is looking to create a new benchmark in the performance ute segment, it could even try to shoehorn the 310kW/900Nm 4.0-litre turbo-diesel V8 under the hood of the new Amarok, which would give it an unprecedented level of performance for a mid-size pick-up.

A long-wheelbase version will also likely be offered in new-generation guise, with VW offering a factory-backed wheelbase extension upgrade on current Amarok models.

More details on the Amarok are expected to be released when the vehicle is revealed, probably during 2021.