Customer orders for the new Volkswagen Amarok are growing ahead of showroom arrivals early next year – with more buyers opting for turbo-petrol power than Volkswagen anticipated.
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Pre-orders for the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok already number in the thousands – before prices are announced or vehicles arrive in showrooms – Volkswagen Australia has revealed.
And demand for the perky yet economical 2.3-litre turbo-petrol model has exceeded Volkswagen Australia’s expectations, indicating not everyone wants a diesel double-cab ute.
Volkswagen executives told media this week orders for the first new Amarok in 12 years – due in showrooms in early 2023 – are “definitely in the four digits”, and it is “confident” of receiving the number of cars it has requested from the factory.
Demand for the 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine – designed by Ford and offered in the VW’s Ford Ranger sibling overseas, but exclusive to the Volkswagen Amarok in Australia – has exceeded expectations, executives say.
Deposits placed with dealers so far are pre-orders only – pending pricing, availability and customer test drives.
“Dealers are taking orders [for the new Amarok]. We’re not necessarily tracking [orders] completely at this point, mainly because there’s no pricing announced,” local Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies told Australian media.
“So … we know that it’s definitely in the four digits in terms of pre-orders, but nothing’s committed until you’ve got a final price and specification, and then ultimately an allocation of cars.”
When asked about expected supply and production of the new Amarok, Mr Davies told media: “We think it’s going to be fine.
“We think we’re going to be alright mainly because the agreement that we have, there’s a [production] volume that’s committed [with head office]. So we’re pretty confident that we’ll be able to get that volume as agreed throughout the year.
“Being the number one market globally for Amarok, I’d like to think that we’ve got some level of pull in terms of securing production,” said Mr Davies.
As reported previously, there is expected to be a “blackout” of stock between the sale of the last first-generation VW Amaroks – due imminently – and the arrival of the new model early next year.
The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 is expected to remain the most popular engine in the new Volkswagen Amarok range – after it grew to account for 85 to 90 per cent of sales of the old model – but demand for the 2.3-litre turbo petrol has exceeded expectations.
The 222kW/452Nm 2.3-litre petrol four-cylinder engine was designed by Ford, and is available in the new Ford Ranger overseas – but between the two utes in Australia, it will be a Volkswagen exclusive.
“When we initially looked at [the petrol engine], we thought it was an interesting engine, but we may have slightly under-called the mix of that car. It seems to be a lot more interest in that engine than we anticipated,” Mr Davies told media including Drive.
“You have to remember that we’ve been an 85 per cent, 90 per cent V6 diesel market [for the original Amarok] for quite some time. So we obviously thought that [new Amarok sales] were going to continue to be dominated in that V6 diesel category.
“But there’s been a lot of interest in the petrol engine from customers, but also, funnily enough, from journalists. So it’s interesting.”
When asked if the 2.3-litre petrol engine was Volkswagen’s substitute for the 292kW twin-turbo V6 petrol Ford Ranger Raptor – which is off-limits to VW – Mr Davies replied: “Not really.
“I think we’ve just got to wait to see how that car drives and how we go in the first few months. We still think, especially in that market, a lot of people tow, and a lot of people that tow want diesel and they want [a] V6 diesel.
“The reason they want that is because they need the power to be able to tow, but also the range. I’m not sure that petrol gives you that type of range if you’re towing. Certainly in a Raptor, I’m guessing that the range wouldn’t be fantastic if you’re towing in that car either.
Volkswagen Australia spokesman Daniel DeGasperi added: “This Amarok does give us an opportunity to speak even more to Volkswagen owners potentially than [the first] generation of Amarok.
“So what I’m talking about there is families, at a level of technology. Volkswagens are renowned for … petrol engines in the Australian market.
“There’s potential of some crossover there from people who aren’t buying this car to tow or to go off road or so on. But they might be a sole trader and they might have a family and they want the added refinement and quietness of the petrol.”
As reported, the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok is due in Australian showrooms early next year in a choice of five model grades, across four engines: single- and twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesels, a single-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesel and a single-turbo 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol.
