FiestaST
Honorary Master
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The VW Amarok Thread
- Thread starter FiestaST
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FiestaST
Honorary Master
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Volkswagen teases all-new Amarok with Chinese genes, and it’s not for South Africa
The new Volkswagen Tukan half-tonner was not the only bakkie to hit the limelight in South America this weekend.
Hot on the heels of the Tukan reveal, the German carmaker used a popular rodeo event to reveal a lightly disguised version of its all-new Amarok one-tonner.
There is a big caveat here, as this new Amarok appears to have been created for the South American market and is unlikely to be sold in too many markets outside the region.
That means it’s unlikely to replace the Ford Ranger-based Amarok bakkie that is built exclusively in South Africa for markets such as Europe and Australia.
Interestingly, while SA’s second-generation Amarok has Ford hardware, it appears that the new South American Amarok will have Chinese genes. According to Motor1 Brazil, the new bakkie will share its DNA with China’s Maxus Interstellar X bakkie through Volkswagen’s ties with its parent company, SAIC.
This will also result in it being the most powerful Amarok ever created, with a plug-in hybrid four-wheel-drive system inherited from Maxus and delivering outputs in excess of 340kW and 800Nm – hence its model designation, ‘800 TSI’.
The bodyshell of the prototype revealed by Volkswagen seems to corroborate the reports of it sharing a bodyshell with the Maxus Interstellar X, but Volkswagen has put its own stamp on the front end, and likely the interior too, if modifications made to the Ford-based Amarok are anything to go by.
The new Volkswagen Tukan half-tonner was not the only bakkie to hit the limelight in South America this weekend.
Hot on the heels of the Tukan reveal, the German carmaker used a popular rodeo event to reveal a lightly disguised version of its all-new Amarok one-tonner.
There is a big caveat here, as this new Amarok appears to have been created for the South American market and is unlikely to be sold in too many markets outside the region.
That means it’s unlikely to replace the Ford Ranger-based Amarok bakkie that is built exclusively in South Africa for markets such as Europe and Australia.
Interestingly, while SA’s second-generation Amarok has Ford hardware, it appears that the new South American Amarok will have Chinese genes. According to Motor1 Brazil, the new bakkie will share its DNA with China’s Maxus Interstellar X bakkie through Volkswagen’s ties with its parent company, SAIC.
This will also result in it being the most powerful Amarok ever created, with a plug-in hybrid four-wheel-drive system inherited from Maxus and delivering outputs in excess of 340kW and 800Nm – hence its model designation, ‘800 TSI’.
The bodyshell of the prototype revealed by Volkswagen seems to corroborate the reports of it sharing a bodyshell with the Maxus Interstellar X, but Volkswagen has put its own stamp on the front end, and likely the interior too, if modifications made to the Ford-based Amarok are anything to go by.
FiestaST
Honorary Master
Next-gen VW Amarok (for South America) to be based on a Chinese bakkie
Set to launch in South America in 2027, VW has teased the next-generation Amarok, which will reportedly be based on a platform from China’s SAIC Motor.
Following the reveal of the Tukan half-tonne bakkie in Brazil on 23 August 2026, Volkswagen has teased the next-generation Amarok for the South American market, with the ‘Nova’ model set to be underpinned by a platform from Chinese automaker SAIC Motor. This model will be built at VW’s Argentina-based production plant.
South America’s new Amarok will be based on SAIC Motor’s Starbridge Architecture, which underpins the LDV Terron 9 and MG U9. As such, the VW will likely employ the same 2.5-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, which produces 163 kW and 520 N.m of torque. Power is delivered to the road via a 4×4 drivetrain, paired with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission. Similar to the LDV and MG, front and rear diff-locks may also be present.
www.carmag.co.za
Set to launch in South America in 2027, VW has teased the next-generation Amarok, which will reportedly be based on a platform from China’s SAIC Motor.
Following the reveal of the Tukan half-tonne bakkie in Brazil on 23 August 2026, Volkswagen has teased the next-generation Amarok for the South American market, with the ‘Nova’ model set to be underpinned by a platform from Chinese automaker SAIC Motor. This model will be built at VW’s Argentina-based production plant.
South America’s new Amarok will be based on SAIC Motor’s Starbridge Architecture, which underpins the LDV Terron 9 and MG U9. As such, the VW will likely employ the same 2.5-litre, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, which produces 163 kW and 520 N.m of torque. Power is delivered to the road via a 4×4 drivetrain, paired with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission. Similar to the LDV and MG, front and rear diff-locks may also be present.
Next-gen VW Amarok (for South America) to be based on a Chinese bakkie
Set to launch in South America in 2027, VW has teased the next Amarok, which will reportedly be based on a platform from China’s SAIC Motor
www.carmag.co.za