2010 Volkswagen Amarok Pickup - Front View
Volkswagen announced today that the production version of its pickup concept unveiled last year will be launched under the ‘Amarok’ name when it arrives in Europe in 2010.
Amarok means wolf in Inuit language. Eskimo people, who live in northern Canada and Greenland, regard the wolf as king of the wilderness and a figure of robustness, endurance and superiority. It also means ‘he loves stones’ in some languages spoken in South America.
“This name fits the characteristics of our pickup perfectly, which will set new standards in its class,” says Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We took great care selecting this name, which can be used globally and is meant to invoke positive associations in all relevant international markets. The Amarok is a powerful and robust vehicle with great stamina – just like the wolf.”
2010 Volkswagen Amarok Pickup - Front Side
It’s a relatively simple exterior design and this flows through into the sizeable cabin. The dash and instrument cluster looks just like what you’d find in a VW passenger car. That is a step up on most of the current competitors. The design is well thought-out and gives an impression of quality and everything is easy to use. The main difference between it and a car interior is the plastics, which are hard rather than soft to the touch.
Volkswagen Amarok will be offered with a choice of rear-wheel drive and switchable or permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive. Thanks to an electronic differential lock (EDL) and Off-Road ABS, the strong pick-up can cut through the toughest off-road terrain without any effort. A Hill Descent Assist is available at speeds under 20 mph. Furthermore, the ESP Plus system includes Hill Hold Assist, which prevents the vehicle from rolling back by holding it in place on inclines until the driver presses the accelerator pedal. The right amount of power is provided by a 2.0-litre Euro5, common rail TDI engine which produces 163 PS and 400 Nm of torque, or a 122 PS TDI engine with maximum torque of 340 Nm from 2,000 rpm. Both engines are connected to a six-speed manual transmission and provides an impressive fuel economy in combination with low CO2 emissions of less than 200 g/km.
2010 Volkswagen Amarok Pickup - Interrior Design
• Amarok sets new standards in 1-tonne pick-up class
• Payload capacity of up to 1.15 tons
• Maximum towing limit of 2.8 tons
• 2.52 m² load area has largest dimensions in its class
• Load area 1,555 mm long,1,620 mm wide
• 1,222 mm between wheelarches to take Euro pallet
• Rear-wheel drive, and switchable or permanent all-wheel drive
• On sale in UK in September 2010
• Double cab available from launch. Single cab to follow in 2011
2010 Volkswagen Amarok Pickup - Rear Side
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Why aren’t small diesel trucks available in the USA? I know small trucks aren’t as “capable” as full size trucks, but not all of us need a full size truck. Current (gas) trucks get terrible mpg too.