New Volkswagen Amarok W-Series follows Aussie muscle car legend

The team responsible for Australia’s cult Commodores has started production of a tough new ute with the most powerful engine in its class.

Volkswagen’s Amarok W580 builds on local know-how.

Australian car experts responsible for V8-powered HSV Commodores have turned their attention to dual-cab utes.

The Walkinshaw Automotive Group has started production of the W-Series Amarok V6 for Volkswagen, transforming one of VW’s most popular vehicles into a modern monster truck.

In the same way that Ford’s local engineers developed the Ranger Raptor and third-party gurus at Premcar developed the Nissan Navara Warrior, the Walkinshaw team’s effort is more than a sticker pack.

Volkswagen conducted an extensive local test program for the Amarok W580.

Like those cars, it has the same engine as its donor vehicle – modern emissions and homologation requirements are too costly to make more powerful engines a reality.

But it does have the best engine in the dual-cab class, a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with 200kW of power and a thumping 580Nm of torque.

Volkswagen Amarok W-Series with HSV’s original VL Group A “Walkinshaw” Commodore.

The new W580 Amarok benefits from high-rise suspension with twin-tube dampers, 20-inch wheels with Pirelli all-terrain tyres, wheel arch extensions, a bonnet protector and side graphics that set it apart from the crowd.

Customers can go a little further with side exhaust pipes, under body styling, and a tray-mounted sail plane inspired by the discontinued HSV Maloo ute in the Amarok W580S model.

Walkinshaw employs around 25 people on the Amarok W-Series production line.

The modifications are made in Walkinshaw’s Victorian base in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton, where RAM and Chevrolet Silverado utes are also converted to right-hand-drive for Australian roads.

Volkswagen commercial vehicles director Ryan Davies said the model represents an important milestone for the brand.

The new Volkswagen Amarok W-Series is on sale now.

“Volkswagen has a long and proud history in Australia, but hasn’t manufactured vehicles

locally for over forty years,” he said.

“It’s fantastic that not only are we back in the business of building cars in Australia, but in doing so with Walkinshaw, we return to our ancestral home of Clayton, just moments away from the site of the original Volkswagen plant.”

Early adopters received a tour of the Walkinshaw factory and an invitation to a track day with its Supercars team as an added incentive that sold out shortly after the car was first unveiled.

Originally published as New Volkswagen Amarok W-Series follows Aussie muscle car legend