Next-gen VW Amarok to launch early 2023

Hot on the heels of the closely related 2022 Ford Ranger, Volkswagen has released these sketches of its next Amarok pickup.

Co-developed with Ford alongside the new Ranger and riding on the same chassis, the next generation of Amarok should be revealed towards the end of 2022 with a launch date in Australia set for early in ’23.

Said to have ‘clear Volkswagen DNA’ the sketches reveal the shared parts with the 2022 Ranger, such as the scallops in the doors clearly carried over and the ridges atop the front fenders also similar to those seen on the future Ford.

It appears that the 2023 Amarok will be, as expected, a Ford Ranger with a VW front end on it and Amarok styling features. The fender flares of the vehicles in the sketches might not represent those of the production vehicle, but they do look more like those found on the current Amarok than the flatter fenders on the Ranger.

4

“The striking front, and above all, the defining X design clearly distinguish the new Amarok and emphasise its claim to be leading the way,” confirms Albert-Johann Kirzinger, Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

The interior sketch shows plenty of carry-overs from the Ford, including the transmission shifter, 4x4 selector dials and the interior door handles. The centre stack of the dash is also familiar, although it doesn’t quite reveal the Ford’s large portrait screen.

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

4

While it has been on the market for more than 10 years, the current VW Amarok remains one of the best driving double-cab 4x4 utes on the market. Not only is it the only model to currently offer the performance of a V6 engine, but its chassis is more dynamic than most of its rivals.

Combine this with a cabin that is wider and more spacious than most other one-tonne utes, and the Amarok is a much underrated vehicle. It’s one that certainly deserves more attention and better sales.

Hopefully, VW will be able to adapt its chassis tuning and dynamics to the Ford T6 platform and continue to offer a superior product.

Ford has endowed its new Ranger with a few features that previously were Amarok key points, including a V6 diesel engine, a full-time four-wheel drive system and a wider cargo tub that allows a full-size pallet to fit in-between the wheel arches, so you could be excused for thinking that the Blue Oval has built the car to VW’s specs. But the engine is all Ford, and the local engineers say that the upgrades were all of their own design.

4

Volkswagen is yet to reveal what powertrains the 2023 Amarok will use, but industry news suggests that they will be carried over from Ford to include both V6 and in-line 4-cylinder diesel engines, and two- and four-wheel drive transmissions.

Currently, the Amarok is manufactured in South America and Germany, but the new model will move manufacturing to South Africa while retaining the South American plant as well.

More than 800,000 Amaroks have been sold since the model was introduced, and the ute is VW Australia’s top selling model.