Next Volkswagen Amarok teased

The next-generation Volkswagen Amarok has been officially teased again, following an initial teaser sketch in March 2020 and a second similar image in March 2021.

However, the third instalment in a teaser campaign that will culminate in its full reveal in 2022, followed by its Australian release in 2023, reveals front three-quarter, side profile and, for the first time, interior renderings of the new Amarok.

Once again the images show a top-shelf hard-core off-road version of the ‘premium’ global pick-up – which is likely to again be offered here only in dual-cab 4x4 ute form – similar in concept to the upcoming Walkinshaw-enhanced W580X version of the current Amarok.

But our first look at the new ute’s high-tech interior show the next Amarok will indeed not be a carbon-copy of the new Ford Ranger on which it’s based, neither inside nor out.

The exterior image, which shows the new dual-cab mud-slinging its way through a South African desert (the 2023 Amarok will be produced in Silverton, SA instead of Hannover, Germany, and will also continue to be built in Pacheco, Argentina), doesn’t give away much more detail than we’ve seen previously.

Volkswagen’s new signature full-width LED light bar features up front, while massively flared guards play up the Amarok’s rugged off-road capabilities.

“What you see here is very much a Volkswagen,” said Davies, highlighting the design differences between the Amarok and the Australian-developed 2022 Ford Ranger with which it shares its third-generation T6 ladder frame.

“It very much has a strong and confident stance in the way that it presents, and in every way, as we’ve expressed before, the Amarok has genuine Volkswagen DNA.

“This is the car that our designers both in 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.”

However, the interior sketch reveals a much more upmarket space with more passenger car-like qualities, such as a fresh steering wheel with plenty of buttons, as well as a smaller and neater gear selector on a centre console within a relatively minimalist cabin.

A large storage cubby built into the dash also features in front of the passenger, while lashings of grey and brown break up a mostly dark interior colour theme.

Perhaps most significantly, although it’s partly obscured, the new Volkswagen Amarok also features a large central portrait-style infotainment touch-screen similar to the one in top-spec versions of the new Ranger.

It’s likely that various variants of the new Amarok will borrow the Ranger’s 10.1- and 12.0-inch touch-screens – and its 8.0- and 12.4-inch digital instrument clusters – but employ Volkswagen’s own multimedia operating system.

“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 Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Albert-Johann Kirzinger.

“We’ve given the strength and power of the new Amarok an unambiguous expression – with clear Volkswagen DNA, inside and out.”

Local Volkswagen officials remain tight-lipped about the next Amarok’s equipment levels, but insist it will bring “significantly more driver assist systems” and segment-first innovations.

It’s been known for some time that the 2023 Amarok will be powered by the same engines as the 2022 Ranger, which Ford recently confirmed will be headlined by a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 with class-leading outputs of up to 200kW/600Nm, supported by 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesels.

In a global press release issued this evening, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles confirmed the new Amarok was being developed by teams in Australia and Europe, before it becomes available to order “in the first few markets” including Europe from late 2022.

“No matter whether it be in South Africa or Australia, pick-ups represent an approach to life and without them certain tasks would be impossible to master. When faced with large loads, challenging country tracks or off-road terrain, everyone is then happy to have a pick-up they can rely on,” said VCV.

“The new Amarok not only has a completely new appearance inside and out, but in future also has even more extensive equipment on board, which is useful not only when being utilised as work tools.

“The Amarok will from 2022 thus be featuring innovations that have not been seen before in this segment. And it will still, of course, not be deterred by any rough terrain.”

Although its Australian sales fall well behind market leaders like the Ranger and Toyota HiLux, the Amarok has found almost 7500 customers Down Under so far in 2021 (up 20% on 2020), and more than 800,000 worldwide since 2010.