VW Amarok closes in on sales milestone

VOLKSWAGEN Group Australia is gearing up for a milestone, with the 70,000th Amarok set to depart an Aussie showroom within a matter of weeks.

In many eyes the Amarok might still seem like a ‘new kid on the block’ of sorts, lacking the pedigree and history of its contemporaries. However, the Amarok has been taking Aussies to remote campsites for near-on a decade, with the first Amarok introduced down under in 2011 as a four-cylinder manual variant with both petrol and diesel engines.

The auto – using an eight-speed ZF – landed a year later, with the V6 model launching in 2016 and expanding to Core and Sportline variants in 2017.

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“The Amarok, especially since the introduction of the V6, has become part of the Australian landscape,” said Ryan Davies, VGA Director of Commercial Vehicles. “Its capability on blacktop and dirt alike have been proved time and again. There are some formidable utes out there, but we can claim that none go and stop or generally drive as well as the mighty ‘Rok. And you can fit a full pallet between the wheel arches.”

The past decade has seen the Amarok carve out a reputation as a premium offering in the ute scene, boxing on with higher-end models in rival showrooms (think Toyota Hilux SR5 and Mercedes-Benz X-Class) while still having a presence in the sub-$50K category (TDI400 and 420 Core variants).

Despite dwindling new-car sales in Australia on the overall market – sales in January 2020 are down 12.5 per cent compared to January 2019 (71,731 versus 81,994) – the VW Amarok actually sold more vehicles year-on-year ... if only by a whisker.

The ’Rok shifted 537 vehicles in January 2020, up from 536 sales in January 2019 – the best-sellers being the Highline 550, Core V6 and Highline 580 Black Edition.

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Volkswagen will introduce a six-speed manual V6 to its local line-up later this month, with the manual variant getting a part-time 4x4 system and two-speed transfer case.

The six-speed manual V6 Core 4x4 will be priced at $49,590. Stay tuned for our first impressions.