BERLIN: Little is known about VW's long-awaited plans to update its Amarok pick-up, but the company has now begun to share the first details about a new cross-atlantic collaboration.
While the first Amarok was an in-house development, this time VW has teamed up with Ford.
According to the commercial vehicle department in Hanover, Germany, the basis for this version is the Ford Ranger.
After 12 years and more than 800,000 units, the German automotive giant says it wants to formally unveil the next generation of the pick-up mid-2022 and start selling it at the end of the year.
Although the Ford collaboration brings various changes, VW says this pick-up will retain its own destinctive design and also go its own way in the interior.
The car is still under wraps and we don't yet have an impression of the inside, but the makers are talking about sharing tech from the US.
Like the Ranger, the Amarok will be available with a 10-speed automatic transmission and as a rear-wheel drive or with two different four-wheel drives.
The engines also come from Ford and buyers are set to get a choice of a V6 diesel with a capacity of three litres, which produces 184 kW/250 hp in the Ranger, and four four-cylinder engines, which VW has not yet specified in more detail.
Given the Ford collaboration, the Amarok is also getting a new platform and becomes noticeably larger. With a future length of 5.30 metres, VW is planning to increase the length by 10cm and the wheelbase by 18 cm.
This will be of particular benefit to the rear passengers in the standard double cab. Because the overhangs are shorter at the same time, the Amarok is also better suited for off-road use.
No prices have been announced yet.
