Have you ever wondered what an Amarok SUV could have looked like? No wonder anymore, after Volkswagen’s chief designer shared what they envisioned as an early concept.
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Switching from an in-house platform to a Ford Ranger base, the updated Amarok bakkie owes its DNA to the Blue Oval, but while Ford’s Fortuner rival Everest acts as the more passenger-focused alternative SUV, Volkswagen’s iteration is non-existent . During the development phase of the bakkie, the design team briefly considered the concept of an Amarok SUV.
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Albert Kirzinger, head of design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, shared one of these official design sketches of the SUV-inspired Amarok on LinkedIn, but the idea of an Amarok SUV was officially dismissed in July 2022 by Lars Krause, the board member for marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles .
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Since both Ford and Volkswagen bakkies are produced locally at the Silverton plant in Pretoria, the VW SUV would likely have been produced alongside its Ford counterpart in Thailand and also offered in the same engine configurations. While the digital artwork undoubtedly shows a dressed up SUV, the line-up would likely have consisted of the same trim levels as the bakkie is offered in. This would have included a Life, Style, PanAmericana and Aventura specification.
Would a new Volkswagen dressed up in Ford’s clothes have been a good idea for the local market?
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