Walkinshaw-fettled next-gen Volkswagen Amaroks not likely until late 2024

Any potential partnership between Volkswagen Australia and Walkinshaw to produce tweaked next-gen Amaroks locally will have a healthy lead time, the firms have revealed.

The two companies joined forces to produce 2600 Amarok W580 models, which have now ceased production, and are currently in talks about continuing the partnership once the next-gen model arrives Down Under.

However, Aussies keen to get their hands on a next-gen Amarok that has been tweaked by Walkinshaw could be waiting until at least 2025.

As explained by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies, this is to allow for the lead times required to develop the new variants.

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Walkinshaw-fettled next-gen Volkswagen Amaroks not likely until late 2024

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“We have both got appetite to continue the program, and we want to look toward formalising something in the coming months,” Davies told Wheels.

“With the long lead times that are necessary for a program like this, we will have a couple of years to dwell on what we can make work, if it comes to fruition.”

When pressed on when exactly we could expect a Walkinshaw Amarok back in the local line-up if a deal is made, Davies revealed it depends on when exactly cars arrive in the country.

“The timeline really depends on the development times and how long it takes to get the components, etcetera, that we would necessarily need to get the program up and running,” he said.

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“That means that we need to have cars arrive here and be ready for development work, and that won’t happen until the first quarter, early second quarter next year [2023].

“Best case scenario you are talking about 18 months from that point onwards.”

With an 18-month minimum wait from Amaroks landing in Australia, that puts a likely launch in the ballpark of late 2024 or early 2025 at best.

Again, this would require an official program to be signed off, but both Walkinshaw and Volkswagen Australia were positive about a potential future deal when speaking to Wheels.

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Walkinshaw Amarok W580S

Walkinshaw Automotive Group director Ryan Walkinshaw said he has enjoyed the current partnership which produced the Amarok W580 variants.

“The relationship with Volkswagen has been fantastic. You never really know until you are already in bed with someone what it is going to be like,” he enthused.

“Right from the start the relationship was very synergistic and very collaborative. We worked very closely on the product we wanted to create. There is a lot of mutual respect between the two groups.”

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