The Volkswagen Amarok SUV could receive a second chance after Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles confirmed it previously built a secret seven-seat prototype based on the first-generation Amarok pickup. Although the project was shelved, the company says it remains interested in bringing a ladder-frame SUV to market if long-standing production challenges can be resolved.
Volkswagen Confirms Secret Amarok SUV Prototype
According to a report by GoAuto, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VWCV) confirmed that it built a prototype seven-seat wagon based on the first-generation Amarok pickup.
The company also told the Australian publication that it continues to pursue the idea of producing a ladder-frame SUV, provided it can overcome what it described as the project’s “persistent scale problems.”
Project Faced Approval and Financial Challenges
The proposed Amarok Wagon would have competed with ladder-frame SUVs including the Ford Everest, Land Cruiser Prado, and Isuzu MU-X.
VWCV Chief Executive Stefan Mecha said expanding into the rugged four-wheel-drive SUV segment has long been an ambition for the company. However, the project never received approval because it would have been designed and manufactured for only a specific region, making it difficult to achieve the production scale required for approval.
Financing also proved to be a major obstacle, as the project’s economics did not support moving it into production. In 2024, VWCV Head of Design Albert Kirzinger shared a rendering of the Amarok-based SUV.
Third-Generation Amarok Could Revive the Concept
The GoAuto report also stated that the rugged SUV project may have another opportunity following Volkswagen’s announcement that a third-generation Amarok is in development.
The new pickup will be produced through a joint venture that is expected to manufacture the truck and potentially a “closed” version derived from it.
Volkswagen currently works with Ford, and the company could potentially use the Ford Everest as a foundation alongside the existing Ranger-based relationship. Mecha noted, however, that the Everest has not yet been discussed as part of the current cooperation with Ford, while adding that the SUV project remains an interesting concept.
SUV Demand Remains Strong
The report noted that demand for SUVs continues across global markets. In the United States, Volkswagen’s best-selling vehicles are its SUV models.
The article also states that any rugged Volkswagen SUV intended for the U.S. market could face challenges from the Chicken Tax, which imposes a 25% tariff on imported light trucks and cargo vans not manufactured in the United States. According to the report, this could require Volkswagen to consider U.S. production and invest in retooling manufacturing facilities.
