VW Commercial Vehicles’ head of design, Albert Kirzinger, has teased fans with an official rendering of a VW SUV inspired by the Ford Everest.
“Exploring design ideas for the Amarok pickup truck!” said Kirzinger on his LinkedIn page.
“Our research phase back in the day took us on an off-road journey, and here’s a sneak peek with a rendering featuring a fully-closed pickup bed. Ready for rugged adventures!”
Like the second-generation Amarok that is based on the sixth-generation Ford Ranger, the tough VW-badged SUV would’ve sat on the same architecture as the Everest and shared a similar body style.
How far the close-backed Amarok got into production we don’t know, but it’s likely that it never made it past concept stage.
VW Commercial Vehicles product planner, Waldemar Bauf, told Australia’s Drive in December 2022 that “in the next 12 months, [VW] will have more of a decision about this topic” – of course, referring to the Everest-based VW.
However, he said that should VW go ahead with the new vehicle, it will be exclusively battery-powered and will be accompanied by an electric Amarok.
It’s now been 13 months since Bauf made these statements, and there have been no further rumours or indications that VW is planning to introduce the new 4×4 SUV, with the above rendering being the only proof we have that the idea ever existed in the manufacturer’s design studio.
Space in the portfolio
There certainly is space in the VW portfolio for a more 4×4-focused SUV as the manufacturer has yet to dabble in this market sphere.
It has a wide variety of luxurious SUVs aimed at all manner of buyers who spend most of their time in the city – the T-Cross, Tiguan, and Touareg come to mind – but it does not have something that particularly appeals to the off-roading crowd.
The success of the new Amarok hints that VW does have a few fans in this market segment, and it’s hoping to make even more inroads into the territory later this year with the introduction of a new turbocharged petrol mill for the popular bakkie.
Kirzinger was rather coy about a potential launch of its rugged ladder-frame SUV, unfortunately.
Responding to a comment that asked if this teaser is a “hint that there is a VW sibling of the Everest on the way,” the designer said: “Sorry – but no further hint.”
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