The New VW Amarok Is Going To Be Really Swole For Some Reason

This time last year, VW revealed a fantastically overblown teaser sketch for the next VW Amarok (below). This week, the manufacturer’s commercial arm is back with another drawing of the pick-up (above), and it’s only marginally less aggressive.

It no longer wears tyres that look like they’re stolen from a big earthmover, while the side intakes of the original have also been toned down. It’s still as subtle as a slap in the face, though. The front end design is similar, on the whole, albeit with that X-shaped middle portion now broken up with a chunky black bumper.

Images like these tend to be quite stylised, but from what we’ve seen so far, there’s a clear intent to make the new Amarok look a lot angrier than the old one. Under the skin, though, it’ll be a bastion of fiscal sensibility.

As part of VW’s ‘strategic alliance’ with Ford, the Amarok will be jointly developed with the next Ford Ranger. We’re already pretty sure there’s going to be a turbo V6-powered ‘Raptor’ version of the latter, so VW may well be planning an ‘Amarok R’ with the same powerplant.

Speaking about the Amarok range as a whole, VW Commercial Vehicles Chairman of the Management Board Carsten Intra said, “This will not only be a great pick-up truck. This will also be a real Volkswagen with a clear signature in technology and design.”

Last year meanwhile, VW boss Herbert Diess described the Amarok as one of the “first fruits” of its collaboration with Ford. The arrangement will go beyond commercial vehicles, with news emerging a few weeks ago of a VW/Ford-developed small electric car going into production by 2023.