Volkswagen teases the new ‘Ford’ Amarok – but don’t expect it to be this BUTCH

Volkswagen’s tie-up with Ford will yield a new Volkswagen Amarok, based on the next Ford Ranger, and VW starts its tease ahead of a debut in late 2021.

As car makers face uncertain times (even more so with the current Covid-19 problems), co-operation between even the biggest car brands is essential to make cost-effective, profitable models in the future. Which is why two of the biggest – Ford and Volkswagen – are in the process of developing a series of close co-operation models.

High on that list is the arrival of both a new Volkswagen Amarok and a Ford Ranger – based on the next Ford Ranger’s underpinnings – and VW has manged to reveal the first look at their take on the joint project.

Shown briefly by VW at their annual conference, you can take it as read that the new Amarok won’t be as butch or bold as the tease photo, but it does still give us an idea of where it’s heading.

That big butch grille, in the real world, will look very similar to the new VW Touareg, and those squared-off wheelarches probably owe their inspiration to the VW Atlas SUV (which we don’t get in the UK).

All very VW, but under the next Amarok will be the same platform as will sit under the next Ford Ranger Pick-up which could, potentially, see VW building Ford Rangers and Ford building VW Amaroks. Which, when you take in to account the US Chicken Tax, could see the next VW Amarok making inroads in to the US market.

The next VW Amarok is going to be just a part of the co-operation between Ford and VW, and we’re expecting a VW van based on the Transit and electric cars from Ford using VW’s MEB platform too.