Volkswagen has displayed its new Amarok pick-up at the National Ploughing Championships, taking place this week (September 21-23) in County Kildare. The new model is Volkswagen's first plunge into the pick-up segment and its new offering will be a competitor for Toyota's dominant Hilux when it goes on sale in mid-2011.
With a Golf-feel interior and dash layout, four-wheel drive capabilities, good ground clearance and towing capacity, Volkswagen will be hoping to attract the attention of farmers and builders.
The Amarok will initially be available in crew-cab guise with two 2.0-litre TDI diesel engines (122- and 163hp) to choose from. We can expect a six-speed manual transmission with low-range and off-road anti-lock brakes. It has a payload of 1,000kg and it can handle a Euro pallet loaded sideways.
A single cab version is due to follow later on along with the option of a dual-clutch automatic DSG gearbox. More details including pricing information will be released closer to launch date.