Walkinshaw-developed Volkswagen Amarok W600 revealed, Australian release confirmed for 2026
Staunch over two years since the old-generation Amarok W-series disappeared from showrooms, Volkswagen’s halo twin-cab is determined to return in 2d-generation bag later this yr with an worthy extra holistic formulation to on-aspect road dynamic excellence courtesy of VW’s ongoing association with Melbourne-primarily based Walkinshaw Automobile Community.
Fully supported by head space of business serve in Wolfsburg, the tie up between Walkinshaw Automobile and Volkswagen Australia resulted in around 2600 units of the old W-series being produced at some stage in two years – a sizeable proportion of total gross sales given Amarok’s blended 2022/23 quantity became 11,140 units.
Amarok buyers have long favoured the excessive-spec, greater-priced variants within the line-up, whereas in accordance to Walkinshaw’s inner ownership surveys, W-series buyers payment total pricing only a cramped greater as a deciding ingredient for absorb than driver-serve programs, which payment practically zero. That formulation the motive force within the serve of the Walkinshaw Amarok is actually the motive force.
Walkinshaw says W-series buyers payment driving no doubt feel and efficiency/handling/suspension of equal importance to mechanical reliability and durability. And in a spend-case enviornment, by a long way the most traditional is in built-up areas or on highways, carrying largely the sincere driver nevertheless once in some time one or two passengers. This knowledge drove the engineering level of curiosity of W-series gen two.
First out of the blocks regularly is the W600 – a handling-centered, visually pumped construction of a V6-engined, mid-spec Amarok Style, deliver to launch within the midst of the third quarter of 2026.
This “driver’s ute” is predicted to fee somewhere between $90,000 and $100,000 earlier than on-aspect road charges, with the W600 acting to behave as a baseline for what the new-generation W-series will be going forward.
It’s generously equipped, visually spectacular and has obtained loads of attention to the suspension, nevertheless it retains the existing drivetrain tune, chassis electronics and braking kit – a minimal of for now – and doesn’t impact the Amarok’s towing or load-carrying capabilities.
First ingredient you opinion is the W600’s stance. That comprises broader wheelarch extensions to shroud new 20 x 10-lumber ‘shadow-chrome’ alloy wheels designed by damaged-down HSV stylist Julian Quincy, the W600’s rim edge sits 51mm extra out than that of the 18 x 7.5-lumber alloys from the Amarok Style, front and rear, and combines with phrase widths expanded by around 40mm.
The chosen wheels had been among extra than 30 designs produced by Quincy, so there’s already scope to visually differentiate any extra W-series variants with uniquely take care of wheels.
The W600’s are clad in 285/50R20 116W Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres, in what is believed to be the important twin-cab application for this excessive-efficiency tread sample, despite the indisputable fact that we know from journey with old Amaroks on 20s that chubby rubber take care of this is in a position to presumably per chance have minimal impact on its off-aspect road prowess.
To visually unify the W600 fabricate, the shadow-chrome grey wheel colouring is repeated on the mirror caps and on the rear bumper garnish, in worthy the same arrangement as the dusky wheelarch extensions tie in with the dusky door handles. And there’s ethical Walkinshaw badging on the W600 – ‘W’ crests on the front mudguards and ‘Walkinshaw’ on the tailgate.
The W600 additionally functions electrically-deployable, matte-dusky aspect steps – developed by Walkinshaw namely for the new W-series – that additionally sport ‘W’ crests and which mechanically lengthen the moment a door is opened, then tuck away neatly once the doors are closed.
It’s a characteristic in total stumbled on on costly full-dimension automobiles akin to the Ram 1500 nevertheless is equipped on no other Amarok.
Below, the W600’s suspension tune revolves around bespoke Koni dampers which is also if truth be told painted Lapis Blue, orderly-shut to the Volkswagen R hero color. For the W-series, they’re a combination of Koni’s Raid off-aspect road dampers (for toughness) and its FSD (frequency selective dampers) which provide a stage of active high-tail alter to make stronger on-aspect road comfort.
The front coils and rear leaf springs appear to lift over from the Style, nevertheless there’s a new custom 22mm rear anti-roll bar (painted the same blue as the dampers) that is bolted on to the chassis by job of new cast-steel mounting points, whereas the Amarok’s front anti-roll bar has been removed.
As is in total the case with efficiency variants, the front sway bar became deemed pointless in reaching a cramped rear bias to its handling poise, minimising understeer and heightening steering precision with none impact on high-tail comfort.
The opposite valuable commerce below is the W600’s custom twin spend diagram, which snakes from the catalytic converter parallel to the driveline, then up and over the rear diff earlier than exiting within the serve of the motive force’s-aspect rear wheel. Capped with W-branded 3.5-lumber shadow-chrome strategies, the spend became routed to help away from the underslung rear spare when there’s an no longer important 20-lumber alloy fitted (an 18-lumber is customary).
The spend itself supposedly has minimal impact on the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6’s outputs – they tend to dwell 184kW and 600Nm (hence the W600 mannequin name) – nevertheless Walkinshaw claims that there’s an development in acoustics, which we’re but to study.
Interior, the W600 combines up-spec Amarok luxury with several remarkable functions. These encompass ‘W600’ flooring mats, ‘Walkinshaw’ steel sill plates, steel pedals with anti-stride rubber inserts, and an embroidered white ‘W’ crest on the front headrests.
The donor automobile already brings two-tone perforated Savona leather upholstery with white stitching, stitched padding at some stage within the door trims, armrests and dashboard top, and eight-speaker top class Harman Kardon audio with a subwoofer, so what you bag within the W600 is a flash Amarok spec with a full handling and visual kit.
What doesn’t commerce is the electronics, so there’s no dedicated Sports surroundings within the skill modes (it retains Unheard of, Eco, Slippery, Mud/Observe, Snow/Sand and Towing/Heavy Load), or remarkable wheel-mounted gearshift paddles, or upgraded braking. Per chance these changes might per chance presumably per chance occur in a capability S version, potentially with tweaked engine outputs.
Neither Volkswagen or Walkinshaw would verify if there’ll be extra W-series variants going forward – or if the ute will be exported to other markets take care of the old version – nevertheless given the immense funding by Walkinshaw Automobile Community to relocate to a gigantic new inexperienced-enviornment facility in Dandenong South, there’s if truth be told room to expand new-gen W-series quantity.
The all-new production line is 110m long, blended with the indisputable fact that the 2d-gen Amarok fabricate is barely two years’ historic when put next with over a decade for the old generation earlier than Walkinshaw labored some dynamic magic. That resulted in a 20-lumber-wheeled ‘works burger’ twin-cab that became equally as proficient off-aspect road because it became lapping a racetrack!
There’s already some pent-up demand for this domestically concocted beast. VW sellers started taking deposits arrangement serve, regardless of no concrete particulars having been published – sincere confirmation it became coming. And we aloof won’t know what the front-quit will spy take care of with out camo’ tape except mid-yr.
Nevertheless given the already spectacular driving dynamics of the customary Amarok Style V6, this rotund-looking out, alive to-handling, bitumen-biased Volkswagen-Walkinshaw twin-cab looks to be deliver to withhold, or even exceed, the spectacular capabilities of its properly-cherished W-series predecessor.
Source credit : chasingcars.com.au
