Volkswagen Amarok News

Volkswagen has unveiled plans to build a next-generation Amarok ute to debut in 2027, but it seems this new version will never see Australian shores.This is because Volkswagen will be using the same Amarok name on an entirely separate product, specifically designed for the South American market.But if a current Ford Ranger-based Amarok is still on your wishlist, fear not, because production of the ute delivered in Australia will continue, with the brand saying: “The existing partnerships for the production of the Amarok in South Africa will remain in place. “In this way, Volkswagen will continue to ensure a reliable supply of vehicles to international markets – while simultaneously pursuing a locally based product strategy tailored to the needs of the Latin American market.”Judging by the wording used, it seems the new South American Amarok won’t be a platform-share vehicle with the Ranger, and will instead be its own bespoke product.As to what this could look like, it is too early to tell, although it would be unsurprising to see the previous-generation Amarok ladder frame live on with a new-generation overhaul. As the brand says, “more than 770,000” units of the previous-generation ute were built in the same Argentinian plant which is earmarked to build the new version in 2027.According to the company, VW is investing 580 million US dollars (nearly A$1 billion) in the new-generation ute, which includes research and development as well as upgrading the Pacheco plant in Argentina.Previous-generation Volkswagens living on in markets where safety and emissions technologies are not as advanced is not a new concept, particularly in South America, where VW has strong domestic production presence.For example, a second facelift of the previous-generation Amarok which never saw Australia is already sold in Brazil and Argentina, which shares styling elements with the Ford Ranger-based and South African-built version sold here.Additionally, it is not the only South-American developed ute Volkswagen sells overseas. It also offers the Polo-based Saveiro, a small monocoque pick-up designed specifically for South American tastes.Because of Volkswagen’s strong manufacturing presence, South American markets have also seen some models live well beyond their global expiry. For example, the second generation Volkswagen Type 2 Kombi which originally launched in 1967 was built and sold in Brazil from 1976 to as late as 2013 receiving various facelifts and more modern engines along the way.While this special Amarok version may never see Australian shores, it’s not to say the nameplate has never had special attention paid to it domestically. The previous-generation version received two locally-overhauled special editions put together by Walkinshaw in partnership with VW Australia which significantly upped its suspension and handling characteristics, whilst also offering a unique styling package and maintaining its hauling and payload specs.The success of this partnership has seen Volkswagen look to renew its partnership with Walkinshaw Group for a spruced-up version of the Australian-delivered second-generation Amarok, which it has previously said should debut in 2025.The new Ranger-based Amarok, however, hasn’t been off to the best start in Australia, having moved just 1459 units to the end of the first quarter of 2025. This represents a market share of just 2.9 per cent when it comes to 4x4 dual cabs, a 35.8 per cent drop year-on-year.

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) applies to new cars sold in the Australian market and is aimed at keeping Australia on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, so said the Federal Government.NVES rules came into effect on January 1 this year but the accumulation of units and penalties won’t start until July 1 this year.Carmarkers are already rethinking their line-ups in order to meet the NVES guidelines, with Ford ditching some of its 4x2 variants of the Everest and Isuzu rumoured to be deleting some 4x2 variants from its MU-X range.The upcoming Kia Tasman will have a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and the likelihood Isuzu and Mazda will replace any of their 3.0-litre ute offerings with a smaller 2.2-litre unit to save on emissions and avoid any NVES-related strife, are we about to say “hoo-roo” to V6 utes?Read on.They may not elicit the same heart-thumping excitement as a V6 or V8, smaller engines have for a long time now proven their worth in utes. They’re refined, fuel efficient, and produce more than adequate amounts of power and torque to be able to haul a load, tow a caravan, horse float or power boat, and go off-road.Throw in impressive high- and low-range gearing, seamless driver-assist tech, a well-calibrated traction control system, and diff locks, and utes with small engines onboard, rather than being outgunned by V6s, are setting the gold standard for effectiveness in tough environments and being able to meet strict new emissions laws.Utes with smaller engines have been around for donkey’s years, but the new-ish wave of them – including the Isuzu D-Max’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (120kW/400Nm) and the Toyota HiLux’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (150kW/500Nm) with mild-hybrid technology – look poised to ensure V6 utes are consigned to the history books.The new Isuzu engine is 10kW/50Nm better then the brand’s 1.9-litre engine (110kW/350Nm) but 20kW/50Nm down on the 3.0-litre unit it is set to replace – no big deal though because those lesser power and torque aren’t deal-breakers for most. Besides, its 120kW/400Nm outputs match those of the GWM Ute (120kW/400Nm) and put it right in the mix with the Jac T9 (120kW/410Nm) and KGM Ssangyong Musso (133kW/400-420Nm).The HiLux’s 2.8-litre set-up doesn’t seem to have hampered its appeal with fans of Australian utes, certainly not in terms of sales.What’s more, the much-loved LandCruiser 79 Series benefits from its 2.8L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW/500Nm), which produces plenty of low-down torque. Add in a 44:1 crawl ratio and, depending on the spec, front and rear diff locks, and this 79 is near-unstoppable off-road.Don’t forget the even newer wave of utes either.Beyond its polarising looks, the Kia Tasman already has tongues a-wagging – not the least because of its 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (154kW and 441Nm), that’s equivalent to the Ford Ranger’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo (154kW/500Nm) in terms of power but 59Nm of torque less.Word is the Tasman will be able to tow the ute industry standard of 3500kg (braked) and will likely have a payload of 1000kg or over, depending on the variant. So, nothing to sniff at there.The Tasman is due to be launched in Australia later this year and is tipped to be, if not a game-changer, a ute that will help move the crowd forward into a hopefully less-polluted future.And how about hybrids?The BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute – a first for Australia – has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with dual electric motors: a 170kW/310Nm front motor and a 150kW/340Nm rear motor (total: 320kW/650Nm).This BYD ute has a claimed driving range of 100km (electric only), and about 850km (hybrid).The Shark has a listed payload of 850kg and braked towing capacity of 2500kg. It doesn’t have the 1000kg payload or 3500kg market-standard towing capacity of non-hybrid utes, but it can still take on a weighty load and clock up big distances before it needs to be refuelled/recharged.In terms of robustness over time, it’s largely unproven as yet – because it hasn’t been on the market long enough for anyone to make an informed judgement. On paper at least, the Shark 6 has plenty of potential to give the ute realm a healthy nudge into the future as part of a new wave of utes equipped with smaller engines, hybrid systems and new technologies aimed at improving performance and efficiencies and reducing emissions.

Utes are Australia’s most popular type of vehicle, but which models offer the best resale value when the time comes to selling them? CarsGuide’s analytics team crunched the numbers so that we could bring you this exclusive report. 

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has confirmed it’s collaborating with Melbourne-based Walkinshaw Group on a new generation version of a high-performance Amarok dual cab ute.

When a Guinness World Records observer is along for the ride you know something extraordinary is on the cards and so it was as a 2025 Volkswagen Amarok V6 Style driven by a three-person crew covered Australia’s 10 gazetted deserts in, you guessed it, world record time.

Cupra explains why a ute is simply off the table despite 'experimenting' with new bodystyles and an impending US market arrival.

Walkinshaw has announced its plans to deliver a “state of the art” 100,000 square metre production, engineering and office facility in Dandenong by the end of 2025. 

Volkswagen has unleashed a sense of Déjà v-ute, giving the original Amarok a facelift for some international markets, despite the model being replaced by the next-gen model, which was co-developed with the Ford Ranger, across most of the world.

Volkswagen is offering discounts on its flagship T-Roc R sports SUV and petrol-powered Amarok Aventura TSI452 until September 30.Combining a $64,990 national drive-away price and $3000 factory bonus for the MY23 T-Roc R effectively brings its ask down by $7000, to $61,990 out the door.The Amarok Aventura TSI452, meanwhile, has a $3000 factory offer applied at time-of-sale. The Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger rival remains priced at $79,990 before on-road costs.The T-Roc R uses a version of the Golf R hatch's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol powertrain outputting 221kW and 400Nm to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.It has 19-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, Nappa leather-upholstered heated front seats, digital cockpit and 9.2-inch multimedia touchscreenThe MY24 T-Roc R, which adds a Beats sound system and power tailgate, is reduced less to $66,990 drive-away with a further $1500 factory bonus on top.“The ability to deliver an even higher number of T-Roc Rs means that we are able to offer even greater value as supply increases," said Head of Product, Passenger Vehicles Michelle Rowney.Australia continues to be the biggest market globally for the T-Roc R, which could be considered an alternative to the similarly priced Golf GTI and Hyundai i30 N.As for the Amarok, the cashback applies to both MY23 and MY24 examples in Aventura TSI452 trim.The only petrol Amarok features a 222kW/452Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and 10-speed automatic (yep, the same found in a Ford Mustang) and retains a 3.5-tonne towing capacity.Huge 21-inch alloy wheels are complemented by Matrix LED headlights, Aventura exterior parts and electronic roll cover, 10-way power-adjust heated 'Savona' leather-upholstered seats, leather-look dash, digital driver's display and vast 12-inch portrait touchscreen.“Although we are on target for our 10,000 annual sales allocation, Volkswagen understands that a higher numbers of customers desire the flagship Aventura", said Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles National Manager of Product and Marketing Nathan Johnson.To the end of June, Volkswagen has delivered 4924 Amaroks. The Amarok Style TDI600 diesel V6 ($73,740, before on-road costs) with 184kW and 600Nm continues to be the most popular accounting for more than half of Volkswagen's ute sales.

Volkswagen Australia has reduced the payload of its Amarok ute range.But don’t panic, it’s actually good news for a lot of would-be buyers.The change has come about as VW brings its method of calculating payload into line with the rest of the dual-cab ute industry.Volkswagen Australia Amarok Product Manager, Ben Triebels, told CarsGuide that the change involves using the kerb weight of the Amarok rather than the tare mass when calculating the payload.Simply put, this involves weighing the vehicle with a full tank of fuel, rather than the 10 litres of fuel the tare weight method involves. There are no other physical changes whatsoever.“It’s a simple as that,” Triebels said.Of course, a heavier vehicle (one with a full fuel tank) reduces payload, but rather than that being a problem for the Amarok, Triebels sees it as an advantage.“We made the move to bring our specifications into line with what everybody else in the ute market does,” he said.“But then we had a few dealers and fleet managers contact us and tell us what a great thing the payload reduction was.”Which begs the question: Why?It turns out that in the case of many Amarok variants, that slight reduction brings the official payload below 1000kg. At which point, the vehicle is suddenly eligible for a novated lease where, previously, it wasn’t.Since many high-end dual-cabs are, in fact, user-chooser decisions purchased on just such a leasing plan, this has the potential for a sales uptick for Amarok.While the Aventura model already featured a payload under 1000kg thanks to its heavier 21-inch wheels and tyres and roller-cover for the bed, the Amarok Core, Style and PanAmericana have now all fallen below the 1000kg payload threshold for novated leasing.