The chances of Volkswagen green lighting a next-generation version of the Walkinshaw-fettled Amarok W580 are growing stronger every day.
The hardcore flagship version of the current-gen Amarok has been a huge hit for Volkswagen in Australia, even though it’s only been on sale for two years.
Speculation around a new version of the W580 has hit fever pitch, especially since the reveal of the second-gen, Ford Ranger-based Amarok in July this year.
Speaking to CarsGuide this week, Volkswagen Australia Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies said a next-gen version of the Walkinshaw Amarok hasn’t been confirmed, but added that both parties are keen.
“We’re definitely interested in it and both parties are definitely interested in continuing it. So we’ve just got to go into a phase of evaluation. And then if we’re happy with that evaluation phase, head towards development,” he said.
With the new-gen Amarok not arriving in Australian showrooms until April next year, development of the next Walkinshaw Amarok could start later than hoped.
“We don’t have a car here yet. So that’s a challenge to start when we don’t have a car. But realistically, we’re going to be talking sort of 18 months to two years after we get a car, until we could theoretically introduce something.
“But I’m not afraid of that. I think that timeline works fine with launching a car and then rolling out a new variant.”
Ford chose to launch its hardcore flagship version of the Ranger, the Raptor, very shortly after the arrival of regular versions earlier this year.
While VW’s timeline is longer than Ford’s, it still gives the German brand a number of years to sell the new Walkinshaw, given the long lifecycles of utes.
One thing that is expected to change with the Walkinshaw Amarok is the name. W580 refers to the torque output of the VW-built 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 in the outgoing Amarok. But the new version of the Amarok will adopt Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 that pumps out 184kW and 600Nm, so it may change to W600.
For the original Walkinshaw Amarok W580 that went on sale in late 2020, Walkinshaw used the V6-powered Amarok as a base and added design elements like a new front grille and bumper, custom twin exhaust with side pipes, and unique W580 rims.
Under the skin changes included a comprehensive retune of the suspension setup, increased ride height and larger diameter Pirelli Scorpion tyres.
Keyword: Raptor bait! Next-gen Walkinshaw Volkswagen Amarok W580 firms, but when will it go on sale?