January 2010
Via West
Page 22 the brand's biggest sellers. And for a brand more renowned for small cars, it could open up a new world of possibilities for larger vehicles, helping repositioning the image of VW Down Under. So no pressure on it then... PRICE AND EQUIPMENT -- Plenty of options, but no word on price yet Given that it was only a brief preview drive ahead of the official launch, Volkswagen didn't hand over any published material on the Amarok. However, the team of board members was happy to answer any question thrown at them, so a reasonably clear picture of the specifications emerged.
on the Amarok program with the designers and engineers take a long hard look at the HiLux and learning what they could from it. The result is a car that is well thought out and could a game-changer -- not just for By Stephen Ottley be Volkswagen Australia, but also around Volkswagen is targeting a wide audiwww.carsales.com.au the world. ence with the Amarok around the International Preview With production of the Amarok com- world, therefore the vehicle has been mencing next week (December 15) in designed with an array of modular Cordoba, Argentina Argentina, the Carsales Network was systems in place to tailor the car to the OVERVIEW - Watch out HiLux, here invited to drive the car on one of its various markets. That means everycomes the 'Rok final shakedown tests alongside mem- thing from seatbelts to stereos...
Volkswagen Amarok
Volkswagen's Commercial Vehicle division in Hannover had one clear goal when creating the Amarok; to be the best in the market. Creating a good vehicle is a difficult challenge in and of itself, but to make life difficult for VW, the pick-up segment already has a clear benchmark -- the Toyota HiLux. Now in its seventh generation, the HiLux has a huge head start on Volkswagen. But the German company hasn't become one of the biggest brands in the world by accident. It has done so with a mix of technical savvy and hard work. Those two traits were in abundance
bers of the VW board -- over 160km of driving on some of the roughest and toughest roads in Argentina, including a stretch of Dakar Rally course (coincidently won by Volkswagen earlier this year). It's a telling sign that only a month out from the start of production, Volkswagen was still looking for ways to improve the Amarok.
Initially there will be a three-tier line-up with the base model (known simply as Amarok), Trendline and Highline covering the various demands of customers.
The basic differences will see the base model sporting plastic bumpers and cloth seats; Trendline will earn colour-coded bumpers and optional The new model is due to go on sale in leather trim; and the Highline will reSouth America and South Africa in the ceive chrome bumpers and leather first quarter of 2010, with Australia seats as standard. having to wait until the second quarter. Obviously specifications for Australian The potential for Volkswagen Group models haven't been released yet, but Australia (VGA) is huge. With only a Volkswagen has designed the Amarok small share of the local pick-up mar- and its production to be a modular ket, the Amarok could become one of system. That means the car can be tailored to a variety of trim and equipment levels, depending on the market demands. Traditional VW parts carried over from other models include the sound system and air-conditioning controls. There will be a number of different options in both these departments, including stereo systems with integrated satellite navigation, USB and Bluetooth capabilities. There are a number of clever standard features in the Amarok, including a unique 'multi function clip' on the dashboard. There are two of the circular devices on either side of stereo (Continued on page 23)
- Bumper Holiday Edition -