Australian automotive engineering icon Walkinshaw will once again tune the Volkswagen Amarok, teasing the second-generation W-Series ute.
Volkswagen Amarok W-Series models were available between mid-2020 and the end of 2022, with Walkinshaw modifying the ute to make it more capable on- and off-road.
Following the launch of the new Ford Ranger-based Amarok in 2023, Volkswagen has been without a W-Series, however that’ll soon change.
“I’m here to announce the next chapter of the W-Series, a journey which started back in mid-2020, where a partnership between Volkswagen and Walkinshaw was born,” Walkinshaw Group CEO Ryan Walkinshaw told Australian media today.
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“Walkinshaw Group once again has partnered with Volkswagen on the second-generation Amarok, and our plan this time [is] to go even further than we went before.
“The design render you can see is now locked in, our talented team [is[ working together behind the scenes to bring it to life, and we’ll move into testing throughout the rest of this year.
“What should you expect? Well, everything we expect from Walkinshaw products: next-level design, performance and handling.
“We can’t wait for you all to see it, to experience it. Thank you to Volkswagen for your support and trust in Walkinshaw Group.
“The new W-Series will be a car to remember.”
Based on the teaser image, the Amarok W-Series will do without the roof rails of the PanAmericana and Aventura variants, though it’s fitted with the sail plane from the latter. A unique set of wheels can also be seen.
Volkswagen first teased the upcoming Amarok W-Series last year, where commercial vehicles director Ryan Davies said it would be a GT-focused offering – like the previous-generation W580S – and not an off-road-focused variant similar to the W580X.
“We’ve been working with the Walkinshaw team for about a year now. We’re in the final stages of evaluating the project,” said Mr Davies in November 2024.
“The project that we’ve been working with them has been a GT-focused [model], like the W580S, that was a hugely successful car for the Volkswagen brand and the Amarok product.
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Mr Davies (left) and Mr Walkinshaw (right) with the final first-generation Amarok W-Series
“There are lots of different off-road variants from other competitors, and we feel that the skill set at Walkinshaw, coupled with the performance of the Amarok, is really the sweet spot for the second iteration of the Walkinshaw Amarok variant.”
Walkinshaw is coy on technical details for the as-yet unnamed tuned new Amarok, though it’s likely to be based on the top-spec ute.
Volkswagen’s flagship Amaroks are available with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine (named TDI600) which can produce 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque, or a turbocharged 2.3-litre petrol engine developing 222kW and 452Nm (marketed as the TSI452).
Both engines are mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel drive system.
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WAU Ranger
When asked last year whether this higher-performance four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine could power the new Amarok W-Series, Mr Davies said it “might do, but we’ll see how we go”.
Regardless of what’s under the bonnet, it won’t be Walkinshaw’s first time tuning the new Ford Ranger platform, having already tweaked the Blue Oval ute to create the WAU Ford Ranger, limited to just 25 examples.
Unlike the Ford, Volkswagen will sell the new Amarok W-Series through its own dealers.
MORE: Everything Volkswagen Amarok
MORE: Volkswagen Amarok Walkinshaw to return, but not as an off-road warrior
