The tarmac-focused, Australian-tuned performance version of Volkswagen's latest Amarok ute could precede a new off-road variant, if customer demand justifies it.
A flagship off-road Walkinshaw version of the Volkswagen Amarok could return for the new-generation line-up, if the road-focused W600 proves as successful as its predecessor.
The original Amarok Walkinshaw range expanded from on-road W580 and W580S variants in 2021, to a more off-road-focused W580X derivative in 2022, with all-terrain tyres and underbody protection.
Michael Cenci, product manager for the Volkswagen Amarok in Australia, told Drive that a return of the Australian-tuned off-road edition is on the cards.
"Is there more scope to do future variants? It's never off the table. What we mentioned previously about Walkinshaw being a premium partner [on VW's list of global suppliers] is actually quite a key point," he said.
"They've now had the doors open to our headquarters, and they have a sponsor over in Germany that can help them with future opportunities, and help us grow future opportunities.
"At the moment, we're focusing on the on-road version, which is where we've seen the demand and opportunity in the market, but yeah, if it goes well, I guess there's no reason to say no at this point."
It would give Volkswagen a rival to off-road flagship utes such as the Nissan Navara Warrior, likely-to-return Toyota HiLux GR Sport, Kia Tasman X-Pro, Ford Ranger Tremor and, to a lesser extent, the hardcore turbo-petrol Ranger Raptor.
It would likely be christened W600X, drawing upon the W600's 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, 10-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel-drive system capable of driving all wheels on sealed surfaces in '4A' mode.
Over a regular Amarok, the old W580X added off-road suspension, 18-inch forged wheels, Pirelli all-terrain tyres, a front bash plate, rock sliders, under-body differential and transmission protection, a light bar, wheel-arch flares, and tweaked styling.
All previous-generation Walkinshaw editions were fitted with a 40mm front – but not rear – suspension lift to correct the original Amarok's 'nose-down' stance, something less apparent in the new model.
As a result, the road-focused W600 only swaps its dampers for upgraded Koni units, and does not touch its springs or ride height.
Over its year and a half in production – from March 2021 to November 2022 – assembly of the original Amarok Walkinshaw range was split between approximately 1400 W580S models, 599 W580Xs, 458 regular W580s, and about 100 W580SE editions.
Sales data presented to Australian media showed that in months where both were in dealers, the W580X sold comparably – or better – than its W580S, W580SE, and W580 road-oriented siblings.
However, Cenci says demand for the W580S was always higher than its off-road sibling, of which it's understood examples remained in dealers into the final months of 2023, well after production concluded.
"Yes, when the X was launched, it did sell equally through those months compared to the S," the Volkswagen executive said.
"But what we can say is that S was in much more demand than the X, as in we got rid of all of our S volume very quickly, and the X um, took longer to sell that volume that we had.
"It wasn't purely supply-driven; there was a lot of demand in there too, which gave us that insight [into developing a road-focused version first]."
Volkswagen recently introduced a factory-designed 10 Deserts Edition of the regular Amarok, based on the low-grade, four-cylinder TDI500 Life, rather than a flagship TDI600 V6.
It added a 40mm front and rear suspension lift, 17-inch black wheels, Continental all-terrain tyres, genuine VW underbody protection, 10 Deserts badges and stickers, a black tonneau cover, and all-weather floor mats.
It is facing the chopping block as the engine powering it, a 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel, is due to be axed from the Amarok range later this year, matching a similar change made to the related Ford Ranger.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
