It was only a few months ago when Volkswagen said it had no interest in putting out an SUV version of the Amarok to echo the mechanically related Ford Ranger/Everest. However, a senior member of the global product management team is now hinting that peeps from Wolfsburg might reconsider an SUV spin-off of the midsize pickup. Petr Sulc told Which car that a family-friendly derivative of workhorse would make sense.
VW is working on an all-electric Amarok that could spawn SUV variants to spread costs with development and create a viable business case. Company officials pointed to the close relationship between the Everest and Ranger saying the two were 80 percent alike. This will obviously be a similar story to the Amarok-based SUV. However, to make that happen, Blue Oval must first launch EV Everest.
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“[A rugged SUV] not the previous scope [commercial vehicle partnership] negotiation [with Ford]So it’s literally what we told them we weren’t interested [that style of vehicle]. [But] I can imagine that if we should get closer [Ford] for battery-electric vehicles, that is [the SUV] have sense.”
Petr Sulc explains the zero-emissions Amarok SUV will not clash with the revival of the Scout name as the latter will mainly target the United States where pickups and SUVs are planned for 2026. This potential body-on-frame electric SUV tied to the rugged Everest will have power global pull, so there will be no risk of cannibalizing sales.
Meanwhile, VW this week announced plans to launch an electric SUV based on the MEB+ platform. Billed as a high-volume product, the mystery model will be assembled in Wolfsburg to sit alongside the ID.4 and ID.5. The German brand has suggested it is roughly the same size as the Tiguan and will live on after a €460 million investment in the plant in early 2025. Part of the funds will go towards the changes needed to add the facelifted ID.3 to the assembly line.
