The Everest-rivalling Amarok SUV that Volkswagen never produced
Ever wondered what an Amarok SUV could have looked like? Wonder no more. Volkswagen’s chief designer shared what they envisioned an early concept to be.
After transitioning from an in-house platform to a Ford Ranger base, the revamped Amarok bakkie owes its DNA to the Blue Oval but while Ford’s Fortuner-rivalling Everest serves as the more passenger-oriented alternative SUV, Volkswagen’s iteration doesn’t exist. During the bakkie’s development phase, 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 however 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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Considering both Ford and Volkswagen bakkies are produced locally at the Silverton facility in Pretoria, the VW SUV would have likely been produced alongside its Ford counterpart in Thailand and been offered in the same engine configurations too. While the digital artwork undoubtedly displays a dolled-up SUV, the lineup would have likely consisted of the same levels of trim that the bakkie is offered in. This would have included a Life, Style, PanAmericana and Aventura spec.
Would another Volkswagen dressed up in Ford’s clothing been a good idea for the local market?
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