Albert Kirzinger, Design Direction of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, has shared a design sketch of a vehicle that the company never produced and likely never will. It was envisioned as a capable off-roader running on the latest Amarok chassis.
The current pickup (seen in the gallery and the video below) runs on the same platform as the Ford Ranger. In turn, Ford makes a true off-roader on this platform – the Everest. Volkswagen has no comparable SUV in its current portfolio, but based on this sketch, it did consider producing one.
Compared to the Amarok, the never-released SUV sports a fixed roof, rather sleek-looking headlights, a rugged front bumper, and a different shoulder line. It is also depicted with a host of accessories attached, suggesting that VW had considered it as a car for active leisure and travel enthusiasts.
The German automobile giant said back in 2022 that it was not interested in introducing any serious off-roaders to its lineup. The reason was never specified, but we suspect that VW might have a non-compete agreement signed with Ford.