It will not be affected by the problems of badge-engineering.
Around the 2022 model year, the first fruits of the tie-up between Volkswagen & Ford will be seen. The Ford Ranger-based Volkswagen Amarok will arrive around that time. The German automaker insists the pickup will be different from its platform-mate. Michael Bartsch, managing director of VW Group Australia, stated to Motoring.com.au VW will not make the same mistakes as Mercedes and Nissan with the one-generation Mercedes X-Class luxury pickup.
The Amarok may not make it to the US, but it will be sold worldwide. Ford sent 12 German designers to Australia 18 months ago to better understand the pickup truck market. Ford’s next-generation pickup truck is being developed in Australia. Ranger . VW believes that the Amarok Ranger and Ranger will be distinctive products which will increase their marketing efforts without falling prey to the traps of badge-engineered.
VW earlier this spring admitted that without its partnership with Ford, there wouldn’t have been a second-generation Amarok. It remains to be seen how VW will distinguish itself from Ford. According to rumors, the VW will take its powertrain from Ford. Motoring reports that the new Ranger will be powered by the 2.0-liter twin-turbo four cylinder and a 3.0-liter V6.
Off-road performance is one area where it could be hard to distinguish the two. Rumours have it that VW is developing an Amarok R diesel engine with around 300 horsepower (223 Kilowatts). This would place it in the same league as the Ford Ranger Raptor which could also be made available in the US. The Amarok’s design will likely be one of the few areas where they differ. Andrew Birkic , Ford Australia president, stated that he didn’t know how VW would differentiate the pickup. We’ll have to wait until their unveilings and then compare.