Volkswagen Pickup Trucks

A drag race between two stock midsize pickup trucks is about as scientific as a drift competition with shopping carts. Pickup truck buyers are rarely interested in the performance aspect of these vehicles, but Carwow still gives us the answer to a question we never thought of asking – which is the quicker pickup truck. This time it’s the Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok that line up for a quarter-mile drag and despite the two vehicles being very similar on paper, the outcome is quite decisive.

With the Volkswagen ID.4 revealed, we’re naturally wondering what’s coming next. Knowing Volkswagen, and the fact that the ID.4 and ID.3 share the same MEB architecture, a handful of electric models will probably share the same bones. So, why not an ID-based truck? Well, rendering artist KDesign AG was thinking the same thing and threw together the renderings you see here. Overall, it doesn’t look too bad at all, really.

The modern-day America-Germany treaty of the automotive industry was announced a few years ago, but things slowed down for a while. Now, things are back on track and the alliance between Ford and Volkswagen is expected to be finalized by the end of June. A lot of products and technology will be shared amongst the two brands, and the latest news is about a Ford-built Volkswagen. According to a press release, Ford will be building a truck for Volkswagen, and it will go on sale in 2020 as the new Amarok. Is this a big win for the German automaker or what?

Volkswagen showed up to the 2019 New York Auto Show with the Tanoak Pickup concept. Based on the Volkswagen Atlas, the Tanoak concept was fairly well received. So well, in fact, that Volkswagen was even considering bringing it to market. Things were looking so well for the Tanoak, that we even made a rendering of it based on the Atlas at the time. Despite the well reception, though, there was a major question that had to be addressed: Does the market really need another midsized, unibody pickup truck? Can a company that’s hardly touched the pickup segment globally really step in the ring and throw down with brands like Ford, Chevy, or Toyota? As it turns out, the answer is no. Volkswagen knows it, and that’s why the Tanoak will never move beyond the concept stage. Well, at least not in its current form….

Drag races are fun and there’s no denying that. But when you think about drag races, you seldom see trucks take a fierce stance and go up against their counterparts. However, Carwow thought that pitting four popular mid-size trucks against one another would be a good idea.

The publication decided to invite two German and two American guests to prove their mettle in a straight-line dash. The guests of honor include the likes of Mercedes X-Class, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger Raptor, and Ford F-150 Raptor. We have given out the winner already, but did Amarok have to break a sweat to take down its rivals?

Volkswagen brought the Tarok pickup truck concept to the 2019 New York Auto Show before its production debut in South America saying that it has no plans to sell it in the U.S. However, Volkswagen of America CEO Scott Keogh says that the Tarok would make sense in North America with "an extremely smart price point."

Still upset that Volkswagen won’t sell the Amarok truck in the United States? Well, get ready to see yet another VW truck that you won’t be able to buy in the U.S. The Germans are bringing the Tarok to the New York Auto Show only to show you what the South American market will get soon. Just a concept for now, the Tarok will become a production model in 2020.

When 2018 rolled in, it was pretty clear that Volkswagen’s truck, the Amarok, was in dire need of an update. Volkswagen was happy to finally oblige, and that’s what we’re looking at here – the updated, 2018 Volkswagen Amarok. As a Volkswagen truck, the Amarok doesn’t get a lot of love here in the states thanks to models like the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Ford F-150, Chevy Colorado, and – soon – the new Ford Ranger. As such, we thought we’d display the Volkswagen Amarok as our wallpaper of the day here in our office. Even better, we thought we’d share our entire gallery of Amarok wallpapers with you. Check out our favorite below, then run your fingers through the gallery at the bottom of the page for other great wallpaper choices.

Despite being the world’s largest automobile manufacturing company, Volkswagen has left the truck segment untapped. Although the European markets will benefit from the Volkswagen-Ford alliance and receive

based Amarok pickup trucks, the same has not been announced for the U.S. markets. However, we have learned that Volkswagen is keen on entering one of the hottest growing segments in the U.S. So, will the company go solo here, or will it choose to ally with Ford and base its trucks on the Blue Oval’s offerings?

Remember the name ‘Arctic Trucks’? They are the same folks whose claim-to-fame was when Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove a customized Toyota Hilux at the North Pole. This company is back in news and this time for working on the Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. Arctic Trucks calls is the ‘Icelandic-spec’ version of the VW Amarok.

Volkswagen wants to start selling a pickup smaller than the Amarok which it plans to call Tarok and which is previewed by this very close to production concept it revealed at 2018 Sao Paulo International Motor Show in Brazil.

The vehicle revealed in Sao Paulo is nearly identical to the production model it previews, and we really expect VW to only operate major changes to the front fascia in its transition from study to series production.

Judging by the fact that its interior is identical to that of the VW Tharu, a China-only SUV related to the Skoda Karoq and Seat Ateca, it’s pretty clear the project is already in the advanced stages of development - there is nothing even remotely concept car-like about the way it looks inside.

The plan is to reportedly just sell it in Brazil, where it would sit below the Amarok in the company’s pickup hierarchy. On the local market, it’d rival models from Fiat and Renault; no plans have been announced to sell it outside Brazil yet, but it seems unlikely VW won’t try to push it in other markets as well.

You think that the Ranger Raptor is cool? Look at this! It is a Volkswagen Amarok 3.0 TDI tuned up a notch by the fantastic Polish tuner Carlex Design. While the Poles are best known for their work on the interior of cars - something we have witnessed with their incredible Mercedes-Benz X-Class transformation - their latest works revolve around exterior mods as well. This is not surprising considering that specialists there have become well-known all over the world. They have to widen their business scope, don’t they?

I think we are lucky they did because the latest work by Carlex Design on Volkswagen’s mid-size pickup squeezes out the best of what the German pickup can offer. While we in the U.S. can’t actually get the Amarok, adventurous Europeans can go mad with it. All with a 3.0-liter TDI, V-6 that develops 268 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque. That is so much more than 210 horsepower from the Range Raptor’s 2.0-liter diesel mill.

Volkswagen introduced the Tanoak Concept at the New York Auto Show with the intention of gauging the public’s interest in the possibility of a production model. It’s taken a bit of time to read into the fleshed-out pickup’s reception, but it looks like there’s momentum within VW that a production model is something that can’t be dismissed outright. No decision has been made yet, and don’t expect one to be announced soon, but a production version of the Tanoak isn’t dead yet.

The Volkswagen Atlas Tanoak Concept wasn’t supposed to appear at the2018 New York Auto Show. But as the story goes, VW execs liked the design study so much it made an 11th-hour decision and brought the Tanoak Concept as a surprise debut. Now that we’ve seen it, we’re glad Volkswagen made the audible because the prototype pickup received such a favorable response that there’s a groundswell of support building on turning the concept car into a full-blown production vehicle. It’s too early to tell if Volkswagen is going to give the people what they want, but don’t be surprised if that light bulb turns on soon.

Volkswagen has been selling the Amarok pickup truck since 2010, but the midsize is still restricted to European, South American, and African markets as of 2018. This has caused great frustration in the U.S., where truck enthusiasts have been clamoring for a North American version since the Amarok’s introduction. VW still doesn’t show signs that it wants to sell the Amarok in the U.S., but American buyers may get access to a truck soon, as the company just unveiled a concept vehicle with a bed at the 2018 New York Auto Show. Called the Atlas Tanoak, it’s based on the relatively new Atlas SUV and could preview the brand’s next-generation pickup truck.

Volkswagen has been on a hard EV offensive as it prepares the world for its ID lineup, and yet here we are hearing rumors about VW showing up to the New York Auto Show with a midsized truck concept. The word comes way of Automotive News who supposedly got word from “sources familiar with the matter.” Even more important is that should the public show interest, VW is ready to shift said concept into production at VW’s Tennessee-based production facility.

Launched in 2010, the Amarok is Volkswagen’s first mid-size pickup truck. A global vehicle, it’s currently being built in three factories in Germany, Argentina, and Algeria. However, despite being sold in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa, the Amarok is not available in the United States, despite rumors that Volkswagen could bring it here as a competitor for the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma. On its way to a redesign, the Amarok is still being used to showcase near-production concept cars at auto shows in Europe. The latest example is the Amarok Aventura Exclusive concept, which previews the company’s brand-new diesel engine.

Finished in a special paint and fitted with bespoke interior appointment, the Aventura Exclusive concept signals the introduction of a new range-topping engine. Based on the existing 3.0 TDI, this new V-6 delivers significantly more power and will essentially give customers access to a sportier version of the pickup truck. Alongside the new turbodiesel, the concept truck also previews new exterior and interior production features. There’s no timetable as to when these will become available, but until we have more information, let’s check out the concept truck in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Volkswagen Amarok Aventura Exclusive concept.

Mercedes-Benz just made quite the splash when it dropped the new X-Class. Framed as the first truly “upscale” pickup truck, the X-Class intends on redefining the midsize segment with unprecedented levels of luxury and refinement. It might seem like a strange combination to mate luxury with pickups, but as Mercedes points out, “the number of pickups for private use is increasing. They are no longer viewed purely as workhorses.” As such, the X-Class aims to broaden the pickup’s buyer appeal, seeking out folks like “land owners and farmers in Argentina, business owners and building contractors in Australia, families with an affinity for premium products in Brazil, trend-conscious individualists in South Africa and Great Britain as well as sporty adventurers in New Zealand and Germany.” Sounds like quite the collection of buyers. But here’s the thing – is the X-Class really all that revolutionary?

To find out, we placed it alongside some of its biggest competition, including the Toyota Hilux, the Volkswagen Amarok, and the Ford Ranger. And, since its possible Merc might bring the X-Class stateside eventually, we threw in the GMC Canyon Denali as well. Read on for all the specs and info you need, and let us know in the comments how you think the X-Class stacks up.

Continue reading to learn more about how the Mercedes-Benz X-Class compares to the competition.

America will never see the Volkswagen Amarok mid-size pickup skip the Chicken Tax and arrive in stateside showrooms. That leaves VW clearly out of the pickup truck game, while other automakers are raking in profits while VW twiddles its thumbs while bleeding Dieselgate cash to the U.S. Government. But VW might have another Ace up its sleeve. According to reports, VW is currently evaluating the possibility of a unibody mid-size pickup based on its new Atlas crossover. That’s right, the Honda Ridgeline might soon have some company.

The news comes from CarBuzz, which spoke to Dr. Matthias Erb, Volkswagen of North America’s chief engineering officer, at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. According to Erb, the German automaker is currently exploring the possibility of scaling the Atlas’ platform for use as a unibody mid-size pickup aimed directly at the American market.

It’s an interesting idea, to say the least. Basing the pickup off the Atlas platform and using Atlas parts has many positives, including the reduced cost of engineering an entirely new platform and powertrain lineup, the already-established assembly plat in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the outright chaos avoided by trying to revamp the body-on-frame Amarok pickup to meet U.S. Government standards in emissions and crash testing, along with building an assembly plant in North American to avoid the Chicken Tax.

What’s more, the Atlas-based truck would have less competition. The Honda Ridgeline is the only unibody pickup based on a SUV currently sold in the U.S., so VW wouldn’t have to worry about competing with GM, Ford, Ram, and to a lesser extent, Toyota, and Nissan.

In fact, Erb told CarBuzz he knows the full-size truck segment is a tough nut to crack. “Body-on-frame trucks are a protected market, he told the outlet. "More than 80 percent of trucks in the U.S. are full-size. There are three main automakers who greatly protect this segment: Ford, GM, and Ram. They’re not just about to let someone else invade their turf.”

Opting to go unibody avoids this long-standing rivalry, allowing VW to compete on a more manageable level with the Honda Ridgeline. Of course, none of these plans are set in stone at this time – at least as far as we know. However, VW could certainly earn some market share in the niche corner of the unibody mid-size pickup segment. At this point, anything that could bring additional profits to the cash-strapped company would be given deep consideration.

Continue reading for more information.

Volkswagen yesterday officially began production of the 2018 Atlas SUV at the automaker’s Chattanooga, Tennessee assembly plant. The three-row crossover will begin arriving at dealerships nationwide in the spring of 2017. Volkswagen says the early start on production allows for time to build inventory.

When asked about the Atlas, Volkswagen Chattanooga’s CEO, Christian Koch, said, “I am very proud of the hard work the Chattanooga team has put in to bring the Atlas to series production. The challenge of integrating a new vehicle line while simultaneously completing a major expansion of our facility was daunting, but our team stepped up to the task and now we have taken another step towards the market introduction of the Atlas.”

The Chattanooga assembly plant has added nearly 400 jobs in conjunction with a $900 million investment associated with the Atlas production. The plant now has more than 2,800 team members and is one of the area’s largest employers. The 1.9 million square-foot plant is still relatively new, having opened in 2011 as the primary assembly plant for the Passat sedan. Both the Atlas and Passat will be built alongside each other. Both are specifically designed for the American market.

The 2018 VW Atlas nestles between the more expensive Touareg and the smaller Tiguan. Despite its placement in VW’s lineup, the Atlas is the largest of its SUVs. It features room for seven occupants within three rows of seating. Fold-flat rear seats allow for 96.8 cubic feet of cargo room. The Atlas debuts VW’s first fully digital gauge cluster, much like those found in Audi vehicles. Two engine choices are available: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and the 3.6-liter VR6. An eight-speed automatic comes standard and VW’s 4Motion AWD system is optional on VR6 models.

Pricing has not been announced, but the 2018 Atlas is expected to carry a base MSRP of $29,000 while the range-topping trim could sell for $45,000 to $50,000.

Continue reading for more information.