Although the new-generation Volkswagen Amarok has yet to be unveiled, the German carmaker has already made it clear that the new contender will have its fair share of Wolfsburg flavour despite being based on the new Ford Ranger.
But now a Volkswagen executive has also expressed the opinion that the two companies helped each other create a better product, to the benefit of the Ranger too.
In an interview with Australian website Drive, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marketing director Lars Krause said: “In the sum, the new Amarok is a much better product than if we did it alone.
“The same goes for the Ford. Without our input, the Ranger would not be so good. The partnership allowed us to pool our individual strengths,” Krause said.
Although the new Volkswagen Amarok is set to use the Ranger’s architecture and drivetrains, the VW exec said that the development process was a two-way street.
“It definitely wasn’t one way. Both benefitted from the competence of the partner. The interior was something where we delivered a lot of expertise, specifically in plastic material and the graining of plastics”.
Although the new Volkswagen Amarok will be built at Ford’s Silverton plant in South Africa, both vehicles were predominantly developed at Ford’s design centre in Australia, to which Volkswagen sent a team of designers and engineers. The company says the Amarok is significantly differentiated in terms of its exterior and interior styling.
Separately Volkswagen of South Africa has released new (disguised prototype) pictures and information pertaining to the upcoming Amarok, which will be revealed in full later in 2022.
The company has confirmed that the Amarok will be available with five different engine specifications, ranging from 2.0-litre four-cylinder units to a 3.0-litre V6. These engines will inevitably be sourced from Ford, whose latest 2.0 units produce between 110kW and 155kW, and whose new 3.0 V6 turbodiesel is good for 184kW and 600Nm.
Volkswagen Amarok buyers will also get to choose between rear-wheel drive and permanent all-wheel drive variants and while the range is expected to centre around double cabs, the company will also offer single cabs in select, but as yet unnamed, markets.
Potential customers can look forward to five different trim grades, including base ‘Amarok’, midrange ‘Life’ and ‘Style’ grades as well as the range-topping ‘PanAmericana’ and ‘Aventura’ models, the former boasting more of an off-road character and the latter having a flavour that’s more suited to the streets.
In terms of tech and features, the new Volkswagen Amarok takes a great leap with over 30 driver assist systems which aim to “set new pick-up standards”.
All will be revealed later this year.