2023 Volkswagen Amarok teased in new render
The 2023 Amarok has been previewed in a new sketch, giving our best look yet at the upcoming Volkswagen ute.
The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok has been teased in a new stylised rendering.
Confirmed for a global unveiling in 2022, Volkswagen is partnering with Ford to create the next-generation Amarok, based on the highly-popular Ranger – but the company insists it will have "Volkswagen DNA".
The German car giant sent personnel from its commercial arm to Australia in 2019 to work with Ford's local design and engineering departments, ensuring the ute will be more than just a re-badge.
"We know what our Amarok means to our customers and fans in Australia. And that’s the reason why we are really working hard to have a 100 per cent Volkswagen, a true Volkswagen, and not only a rebadged Ford," Head of Design at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Albert-Johann Kirzinger, said in a 2020 video.
"I want you to rest assured that this Amarok will be a real beast."
Like the sketch shown in 2020, the new render shows a full-width grille with integrated LED headlights, with a suspected daytime-running light spanning across the centre bar.
Above: A Volkswagen T7 Transporter teaser image. Top: An official 2023 Volkswagen Amarok render. Bottom: Our impression of what the new Amarok could look like.
Overnight, an image of the company's future T7 Transporter was also released as part of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ annual media conference, showing similarities with the Amarok preview, and all but confirming the future design direction of the new-generation of Volkswagen's commercial range.
It's expected the Amarok will get the 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder shared with the Ranger, with rumours suggesting the model will also continue with a V6 powertrain – though at this stage it's unconfirmed whether the Australian market will get a twin-turbo petrol V6 borrowed from the US-market Ford Explorer ST, or if local buyers will enjoy the continuity of a turbo diesel V6, or both.
While the Explorer ST's petrol V6 offers 300kW and 560Nm, the 3.0-litre turbo diesel 'Power Stroke' V6 found in the Ford F-150 produces 185kW and 600Nm, making it a viable candidate for the new Amarok ute.
For comparison, the current Amarok V6 on sale produces 190kW and 580Nm, with its performance figures being a point of differentiation for the Volkswagen within the highly-competitive ute segment.
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