Full text
Volkswagen secretly built an Amarok SUV prototype years ago, executives recalled.
Project stalled repeatedly because expected sales volumes didnโt justify development.
Third-generation Amarok plans could revive SUV idea through future partnerships.
Volkswagen has spent years watching rivals cash in on rugged, ladder-frame pickup-based SUVs without offering one of its own. But behind the scenes, some Wolfsburg bosses have been pushing hard to green light just such a project, and it sounds like they havenโt given up on the idea of getting it to the showroom.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){
adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");
}
});
We previously reported how Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles developed a one-off seven-seat SUV based on the Amarok pickup , the body-on-frame midsize truck thatโs sold in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America, but not the US. The vehicle never made it beyond the prototype stage, but it apparently still survives somewhere within Volkswagenโs internal collection, quietly reminding executives of what might have been.
Related: VWโs Performance Amarok W600 Got Everything But The Performance
The concept itself isnโt hard to understand. Take a rugged body-on-frame pickup, replace the cargo bed with an enclosed passenger cabin, add a third row, and suddenly youโve got a rival for vehicles like the Ford Everest , Toyotaโs 4Runner and Land Cruiser Prado, and Isuzu MU-X.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform === "DESKTOP"){
adpushup.triggerAd("ea4d4b5a-f8e5-4d5d-9d9a-53a3b956b6cd");
} else{
adpushup.triggerAd("44c0a4dc-e25b-4ba5-ac64-2c510461b92a");
}
});
Why It Kept Stalling
The current VW Amarok pickup truck.
The problem wasnโt engineering it. VW reportedly advanced the project far enough to establish its overall shape and proportions, VWCV head of design Albert Kirzinger even sharing an image of the creation on LinkedIn in 2024 years after it was nixed. The real hurdle was money. Building a dedicated SUV derivative only makes sense if enough buyers show up, and Volkswagenโs Wolfsburg chiefs couldnโt make the numbers work.
Thatโs especially true when a vehicle is aimed at a limited number of markets. While ladder-frame, pickup-based SUVs are hugely popular in places like Australia, Thailand, South Africa, and parts of South America, they arenโt necessarily volume sellers everywhere else. Without broader global demand, the business case kept falling apart. Now, though, the idea could be back under consideration.
โTo extend the model range is a long-desired wish,โ Mecha told Australiaโs Go Auto . โIn particular, this rugged or closed pickup, for instance, as we would call it, where you have the same platform as the pickup.โ
New Amarok Under Development
Volkswagen has already confirmed that a third-generation Amarok is coming to replace the gen-two launched in 2022, and discussions are underway regarding who will help develop and build it.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){
adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");
}
});
One obvious route would be continuing the companyโs relationship with Ford. The current Amarok shares much of its DNA with the Ranger, which already has the Everest SUV (shown below) as a close relative. Creating a VW-branded counterpart would seem like a straightforward solution, though VW must also be considering leveraging its Chinese operations โ itโs already working on an all-new hybrid Amarok for South America based on Chinese tech .
For American buyers, this is mostly an interesting what-if since the current Amarok isnโt sold in the US, in large part because the chicken tax makes it too expensive to import. But given the success of body-on-frame trucks like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma in America, maybe VW would consider US production.
Regardless of whether that happens, the thought of a Volkswagen alternative to the Everest, Prado, and other rugged SUV s is intriguing. The prototype may have spent years gathering dust, but it sounds like the dream isnโt dead just yet.
var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};
adpushup.que.push(function() {
if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){
adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");
} else {
adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");
}
});
Fordโs Everest is based on the Ranger pickup.
Comments
No comments yet โ be the first to weigh in ๐
No comments yet. Be the first!