'We’ve been pretty clear': An off-road focused 2027 Volkswagen Amarok rival under consideration to the 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max Blade

Volkswagen is readying the launch of its locally fettled Amarok W600 flagship performance ute and the company has said more versions could come if it’s successful.

One particular version that’s under study is an off-road version to compete against the Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max Blade, Nissan Navara Warrior and Mitsubishi Triton Raider.

“I think we’ve been pretty clear … we’ll assess the opportunity as it comes to us right now,” said Volkswagen Group Australia Director of Commercial Vehicles, Nathan Johnson to CarsGuide.

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“The decision was made to be straightforward, keep it simple and focus on something that has higher demand and better opportunity for us.

“What’s next? We have multiple discussions open with Walkinshaw across a range of different products, accessories [and] niche opportunities with fleet.

“What we found working with Walkinshaw is they have the ability to not only scale and [grow] production capacity, but also projects as well.

“Having a partnership like that is pretty special in this market because it’s not a market that is known for its manufacturing at the moment and we’re keen to continue to support Australian manufacturers and we’ll continue to work with Walkinshaw moving forward on opportunities.”

2027 Volkswagen Amarok W600

Before Volkswagen and Walkinshaw had landed on the on-road-oriented Amarok W600, the companies were initially discussing an off-road version of the ute.

Proposed design sketches had already been laid up but ultimately the companies pivoted to a different niche, which Volkswagen claims is more in line with what an Amarok ute customer desires.

At this stage it’s unclear when or if Volkswagen will actually add another variant to its W-Series line-up in current-generation guise, but it did offer a few in previous-generation guise, including on- and off-road-oriented versions.

The Amarok W600 has been in development now for a number of years and will launch in Australia this August.

@carsguide.com.au Raptor slayer!? The 2026 Volkswagen Amarok W600 has been officially unveiled as the latest creation from Australian engineering and manufacturing firm Walkinshaw. Dubbed the ‘Ultimate Driver’s Ute’, its upgrades are road-oriented, unlike the off-road-oriented Ford Ranger Raptor, Nissan Navara Warrior and Mitsubishi Triton Raider #volkswagen #amarok #ute #cartok #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

Highlight changes include 20x10-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, a Koni-sourced suspension upgrade with a bespoke tune, wider wheel arches, a side-exit exhaust and electric side steps.

Power still comes from a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine producing 184kW and 600Nm. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a full-time four-wheel drive system.

At this stage Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed how much the Amarok W600 will cost. As it currently stands, the Aventura trim caps out at $82,990 before on-road costs.