Volkswagen Amarok


The Volkswagen Amarok is a pickup truck produced by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles since 2010. It is a traditional body-on-frame truck with double-wishbone suspension at the front and leaf springs at the rear. The Amarok range consists of single cab and double cab, combined with either rear-wheel drive or 4motion four-wheel-drive, and is powered by turbocharged gasoline or turbocharged direct injection diesel engines. Volkswagen considers the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi L200, Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Chevrolet/Holden Colorado/S-10 to be Amarok competitors.

History

In 2005, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles announced their intent to build a robust pickup and off-road family of vehicles.
In 2007, automotive website WorldCarFans.com published the first photos captured by RoAnSa Carspy Photography of the development mule of the Robust Pick-Up concept vehicle wearing Toyota Hilux sheetmetal on a Volkswagen-developed chassis.
In March 2008, automotive spy photographer Hans Lehmann captured the first image of the Robust Pick-Up wearing a production body which was designed by Walter de Silva.
In September 2008, Volkswagen released the Robust Pick-Up concept in a search and rescue vehicle color scheme; the design was said to be 95% a production version.
The Amarok, the first pickup from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, was presented to the general public in General Pacheco, Argentina, on 7 January 2010.
Following the launch in Argentina, the Amarok was a key support vehicle in the 2010 Dakar Rally, with 45 having been used.
In November 2010, the Amarok was awarded 4 stars from Euro NCAP under the 2010/2011 standard crash testing procedure. In February 2011, it received 5 stars from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.

Naming

The name Amarok, referencing a wolf deity in Inuit mythology, was chosen by brand marketing consultants Interbrand; Interbrand also claims the name is associated with the phrase "he loves stones" in Romanic languages in an attempt to allude to the all-terrain performance of the vehicle.

Engines

The Amarok is powered by a range of turbocharged direct injection common rail diesel engines, and fuel stratified injection petrol engine.
As of 2010, the engine range consists of two 2.0L turbocharged direct injection common rail diesel engines which is taken from the Volkswagen Transporter, it has been tuned for more torque but less power; the entry-level version produces which develops a maximum torque of from 2,000 rpm. The top-of-the-line bi-turbo version produces which develops a maximum torque of from 1500 rpm −2500 rpm. Fuel consumption in a combined cycle format is as low as on the rear-wheel-drive variant to on the 4Motion version, which theoretically gives the Amarok a range before filling up for fuel.
As of the 2012 Model Year, Volkswagen has introduced two more engine configurations, 2.0L TDI 90 kW motor upgraded to 103 kW of power and a 2.0L Bi-TDI which has an optional 8-speed ZF engineered automatic transmission.
On 22 September 2014, Volkswagen launched a limited edition Amarok Dark Label model. The Dark Label model is fitted with the 2.0-litre BiTDI engine, generating up to of torque and offering a maximum towing capacity of up to.
For the 2017 model year, Volkswagen announced a facelifted Amarok range. The key feature of the facelift is a new engine that replaces the earlier models' 2.0L TDI engine. In place of the previous four-cylinder engine, the Amarok is now fitted with a version of VW's 3.0L TDI V6. It will be available in three states of tune, with the most powerful version boasting a torque output of and a 0–62 mph time of 8 seconds. In the UK the lowest power output was dropped in favour of the 201 and 254 BHP models, the latter has an overboost to 268 and can hit 62 from a standstill in 7.4 seconds.
The new V6 TDI offers up to 23% more power and 28% more torque while delivering lower emissions and decreased fuel consumption compared to the previous 2.0 BiTDI engine that was previously the most powerful option. Deliveries of the new Amarok V6 TDI were scheduled to commence in the 3rd quarter of 2016. In late 2018 a more powerful version of the 3.0 V6 TDI was produced to compete with the new Mercedes Benz X Class V6 TDI.

Engines

Driveline

The Amarok has three drive concepts: rear wheel drive, Shiftable 4Motion and Permanent 4Motion.
The Shiftable all wheel drive system can shift drive between the axles whereas the Permanent full-time all wheel drive system distributes power through a Torque Sensing differential with a 40:60 ratio between the front and rear axles.

Production sites and figures

The Amarok is currently being produced in the Volkswagen Group plant in General Pacheco, Argentina; for South American, Mexican, Oceanian, South African, Russian, and European markets.
It is expected to produce 90,000 Amaroks annually once production is at full capacity.
The Hanover site was originally dropped from possible sites to produce the Amarok due to the Global Financial Crisis and increasing economic costs in Europe in 2009.
In September 2010 it was decided by the Volkswagen Group Board of Management that 40,000 Amarok pickups will also be built in Hanover, Germany for the European and small volume markets from the middle of 2012.
The 100,000th Amarok was produced on 8 October 2011.
Production Figures:
Currently the Amarok is available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Africa, and throughout Europe and South America. VW met with Canadian and American dealerships in 2012 to talk about introducing the pickup to those markets. At least for the U.S., this would likely necessitate moving production or building a plant somewhere in North America, to avoid the Chicken tax, which was enacted in part to target sales of the Volkswagen Type 2 panel van and pickup. On 1 January 2018, Volkswagen registered the Amarok name in the United States, signaling its intention to bring the pickup to America in the near future.

Model lines

Three equipment lines will be offered on the Amarok; base version, Trendline and Highline.

Base version

The base version comes equipped with 16-inch steel wheels, height-adjustable front seats, variable folding rear bench seats, locking glove box, cargo platform lighting, antenna integrated within wing mirrors, manual window regulators, manual door locking and manual wing mirror adjustment.
The front bumper, wing mirrors and door handles come in black.

Trendline

The Trendline grade has over the base version electrically operated door locking, electric windows and wing mirror adjustment as well as a radio with a CD player, climate control, multi-functional display, cruise control, front fog lights, 17-inch aluminium wheels.
Also painted in the body colour are the front bumper, door handles and wing mirrors.

Highline

The Highline grade has over the Trendline part chrome mirror housings, chrome strips on radiator grille and around the fog lights, chrome rear bumper bar 18-inch aluminium wheels, automatic climate control, leatherette/leather fabric on the interior.

Platform variants

The Amarok was launched in a Double Cab variant with the Single Cab first launching in late 2011 in South Africa and Europe

Other variants

; XL +31 CM
; XXL
Offers an extended bed with of space and a slightly longer wheelbase.
; Chassis cab
In 2006 the Australian publication Transport Today reported that Phil Clark, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Director in Australia, was trying to persuade Volkswagen's head office to add a chassis cab programme to Project RPU.
Cab Chassis variants of both the Single Cab and Double Cab will launch with the 2012 Model Year range.
;Amarok Sochi Special Edition
The official vehicle of the 2014 Winter Olympics, the Amarok Sochi Special Edition was available only in Russia. It adds extra exterior chrome trim, a navigation system and an updated interior.
;Amarok Polar Expedition
The Polar Expedition variant was designed to promote the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in the remote areas of Russia.
Three of these trucks were built to carry nine people east by road from Moscow to the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Kamchatka peninsula. The team of 9 earned the Guinness World Record for the longest off-road journey through one country. The team took 66 days to reach Kamchatka from Moscow by driving over the glacier-covered Sredinny Range and were the first people to do so. The specially built Amaroks received a couple of upgrades to take on the cold and road less wilderness. The team replaced the front and rear suspension with long-travel, heavy-duty shocks and massive tires with deeper ridges for extra traction in deep snow and ice. The body was unmodified except for cutting out the fenders to fit the wheels and tires. The 2.0L turbo diesel engine remained mostly unmodified because the goal was reliability. For added safety, the interior was fitted with a roll cage and navigation equipment to make sure the team didn't get lost.
;Spin-offs
Rumoured platform spin-offs include a five to seven seat SUV to compete with Nissan Xterra and Toyota Hilux SW4 to be built in Brazil for the South American and European markets.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence has announced plans to phase out other vehicles, including the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, in favour of the Amarok to move to a single type of truck for peacetime operations. The stated aims for this plan are to purchase 1,667 new vehicles for the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Marechaussee.

Awards

Volkswagen revealed their one tonne pickup study at the 2008 IAA Commercial Vehicle Show in September; the SAR Pickup measures in length and in width, and the long cargo bed can carry a Euro sized broad pallet sideways.
SAR Pickup concept also was equipped for Lifeguards with: four mobile CB radios, flashlights, first aid kit with a defibrillator, binoculars, two safety helmets, removable neoprene seats for hard wearing, and a blue light roof module with integrated searchlight.
Possible production features that were on the concept: radio navigation system controlled by a multifunction touch screen, differential locks, cable winch and the rear logo opens the tailgate.
2008 SAR Concept Pickup at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show: