Executive guarantees that the successor to the pickup will maintain a powerful engine and compares the acceleration of the novelty to that of a Porsche Panamera
The next generation of the Volkswagen Amarok will undergo a structural revolution and, in addition to new technologies and design, promises high performance. According to the Motor1.com, the new Amarok will have performance compared to Porsche models, according to what the automaker’s chairman for the region, Alexander Seitz, said.
To illustrate the ambition of the project, the executive resorted to an unusual comparison. “The successor to the Amarok can be anything, but never worse in performance than the current one. The torque and performance will be equal or better,” Seitz said, even joking that the acceleration of the future pickup truck will rival that of a Porsche Panamera.
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The promise creates high expectations, as the Amarok has built its regional reputation based on motorization. Produced in General Pacheco, Argentina, since 2010 — with almost 800 thousand units manufactured — the pickup is currently sold with a 3.0 turbodiesel V6 engine capable of delivering 258 hp (or 272 hp with the overboost function activated) and a robust 59,1 kgfm of torque.
The big turn of the new generation, however, will be under the bodywork. The model will abandon the current base to adopt an architecture developed in partnership with China’s SAIC Motor. The new platform will derive from the Asian pickup Maxus Interstellar X, but, according to the German manufacturer, it will undergo a rigorous adaptation process to withstand the severe driving conditions in Latin America, with an estimated nationalization rate of 50%.
In addition to the new mechanical base, the project will bring a long-awaited leap in embedded electronics. The future Amarok will feature advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and a state-of-the-art connectivity package. While development moves into the final stages, the current restyled generation will continue to supply the regional market from the Argentine assembly line.
