VW recently released pictures of its new 2011 Amarok light global pickup, and very quickly began receiving questions about whether or not VW intended to sell the truck in the American market. Volkswagen Group of America president and CEO Stefan Jacoby has now addressed the questions, and even provided the number of expected sales needed to make the business case.
Leftlane recently reported on the early release of the Amarok truck pictures and specifications, but until now lacked confirmation on VW’s plans for the truck in the U.S. market. Unfortunately for U.S. buyers in love with the Amarok light pickup, Jacoby says that VW would need to “sell at least 100,000 Amarok pickups to make it feasible.”
To make matters worse for prospective buyers, the only would-be competitor to the Amarok to reach those sales figures (and barely) is the very established Toyota Tacoma , according to PickupTrucks.
Although VW is a major player in world markets, it currently struggles to achieve large sales volumes in the U.S. market, making the possibility of the Amarok achieving the necessary sales figures virtually impossible in the near term.
For other markets, the Amarok is powered by a 2.0-liter common rail injection diesel, capable of 163 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. In the future a cheaper, less powerful engine is expected to become available with 122 hp and 250 lb-ft.
The Amarok also features standard rear-wheel-drive to be expected from a truck, in addition to optional all-wheel-drive with a 60 percent rear bias.
As it currently stands VW plans to start production later this year in Pacheco, Argentina, and the truck will be sold in South America, South Africa, Australia, as well as in some European countries.
