Volkswagen says US pickup is back on the table

VW would need to sell 100k

from autoblog


Want a new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck? Well then, now would be the time to let VW know about your interest. Speaking to our man Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, says that the automaker would need 100,000 takers per year in order to make any money on the Amarok here in the State

Link to full story
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/report-vw-would-have-to-shift-100-000-amarok-pickups-to-justify/

Kabin, I have a dealer here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area. He is taking deposits and will let us decide if we really want the truck after they become available. He holds the check and will not deposit it until we say yes or know. PM me if you want his contact information.
frugality, Consumer Reports also has rarely rated any VW as a best buy. This truck isn't really new, just a redesign of trucks Mahindra has been building for years. They have been building cars and trucks longer than they have been building tractors. Hayden

well i wish they would bring a TRUE 1 ton to the us. that said on towing i have a 92 f-150 with a 300 straight six and 5 speed with 3.08 gears that will and has taken 12,000 pounds of trailer and bed load combined and walked off with it cross country more than once when i was in the military. truck now has 215,000 miles and the the only major repair has been a clutch at 213,000. the power level of the twin turbo 2.0 listed would be plenty for most even in a fullsize 1 ton i.e. f350 or d3500. granted its only about half the torque and hp of the current cummins 6.7 its just a tick under the the old 7.3idi na or turbo. from experience i would say for the service truck segment for sure it would be plnety of power, just put it in a truck that can handle crossing the scales at 10k to 15k for 300,000 miles and live to tell the story and it would be a winner. alas we can only dream of such here in the states.

mac

dieseltdi said:

I actually have money down on a Mahindra pending delivery in February. I have kept up with their redesign for the US market and they seem to really be trying to get it right the first time. As far as they being "crap" anyone that can build a truck that withstands the "roads" of India and SE Asia should be able to easily build something that will go forever on US roads.

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Let whoever say whatever they want. The Indians understand the car market very well. They know there is at the very least a niche market for diesel and they have upped the ante with an auto (six speed). Having worked around a bunch of indians in the middle east they are not slackards and know how to get it done....RIGHT!

mittzlepick said:

my mahindra tractor serves me well. their trucks look like a old toy that crossbred with a chevy luv, but if I were buying I'd buy it with the stick (not offered) . What so hard about offering a stick to go with a truck here ffs it drives me nut autos never go the long haul especially in a truck that get beat on and worked.

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Guys look at the military (your own military) why have they gotten rid of the stick and have gone to all auto xmsns? It's because they are easier to maintain and cheaper to build with less moving parts. I understand if a stick is your preference but the industry has to follow up with the maintenance after its out the door. Maybe its me but show me what you can do with a stick that you can't do with auto if enough modules aren't in place. I have driven those military trucks and they can do anything the old deuce and half could do with more. Hell the only thing I want the military to do with they Hummers is to put a parking gear in them.....

coolbreeze said:

from autoblog


Want a new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck? Well then, now would be the time to let VW know about your interest. Speaking to our man Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, says that the automaker would need 100,000 takers per year in order to make any money on the Amarok here in the State

Link to full story
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/report-vw-would-have-to-shift-100-000-amarok-pickups-to-justify/

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They won't ever reach those numbers here if they don't start! I thought VW wanted to oust Toyota as the number one auto maker in the world. Over the years I have watched VW fail success was within their grasp and then wonder what is going on. IF VW wants those numbers they better start now. Don't say it's a labor issue. They can contract out this stuff anywhere in the world...."BUILD IT AND THEY WILL BUY IT....."

Well, gotta tell ya, the notion that auto trannies are simpler and cheaper to build/maintain than manuals sits very strangely with me...

And the fact that the army has gone auto might have something to do with the soldier at the wheel having a few things on his mind besides shifting gears while he's running over rough terrain taking flak. Never been in the army, much less combat, just a thought.

wolfskin said:

Well, gotta tell ya, the notion that auto trannies are simpler and cheaper to build/maintain than manuals sits very strangely with me...

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Ditto. That doesn't seem right at all. If they're so much simpler to build, why is an automatic transmission a $1,000 option (if not the only choice) on so many vehicles? Seems to me if you made manual transmissions a $1,000 option, sales of those transmissions would plummet and you could justify not building any more; problem solved.

wolfskin said:

And the fact that the army has gone auto might have something to do with the soldier at the wheel having a few things on his mind besides shifting gears

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Or that most soldiers, reflective of the majority of the American population, have never learned how to drive a manual-transmission vehicle. Why are most rental cars and trucks automatic? Because otherwise they'd sit on the lot.

autos stink I can change clutches but I can't rebuild an automatic hence the broken dodge in the drive. Plus there just not fun you should need a doctors not for an automatic!

rme said:

Guys look at the military (your own military) why have they gotten rid of the stick and have gone to all auto xmsns? It's because they are easier to maintain and cheaper to build with less moving parts. I understand if a stick is your preference but the industry has to follow up with the maintenance after its out the door. Maybe its me but show me what you can do with a stick that you can't do with auto if enough modules aren't in place. I have driven those military trucks and they can do anything the old deuce and half could do with more. Hell the only thing I want the military to do with they Hummers is to put a parking gear in them.....

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Have you ever been inside an automatic? I have. A 4 speed automatic has far more moving parts than a 6 speed manual by far. Now add a planetary or 2 for 5 or 6 speeds and you have even greater complexity.
You do not have the same engine braking from an automatic. You do not get the same fuel mileage; on average it is about 20% worse with an automatic. If I want to keep the vehicle in a certain gear longer I can on a stick but not on a Automatic. If you need a rebuild on an automatic be prepared to spend double or more. Considering how many here remove their automatics to swap to sticks, what does that tell you about the reliability?
The main reason that vehicles in america are not offered in manual is because the general public wants to be pampered and they are not true driving enthusiasts. I remember when Toyota came out with the V6 Camry stick 2 door a few years back. Great car which did not sell. It is truly a shame.

Steve-o said:

Ditto. That doesn't seem right at all. If they're so much simpler to build, why is an automatic transmission a $1,000 option (if not the only choice) on so many vehicles? Seems to me if you made manual transmissions a $1,000 option, sales of those transmissions would plummet and you could justify not building any more; problem solved.


Or that most soldiers, reflective of the majority of the American population, have never learned how to drive a manual-transmission vehicle. Why are most rental cars and trucks automatic? Because otherwise they'd sit on the lot.

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I understand the concern and the wonderment about transmissions but as a military guy when I think stick shift I think clutch as well and then the rear end and the problems you have with people not using the clutch as they should. But we still use auto's....

hevster1 said:

Have you ever been inside an automatic? I have. A 4 speed automatic has far more moving parts than a 6 speed manual by far. Now add a planetary or 2 for 5 or 6 speeds and you have even greater complexity.
You do not have the same engine braking from an automatic. You do not get the same fuel mileage; on average it is about 20% worse with an automatic. If I want to keep the vehicle in a certain gear longer I can on a stick but not on a Automatic. If you need a rebuild on an automatic be prepared to spend double or more. Considering how many here remove their automatics to swap to sticks, what does that tell you about the reliability?
The main reason that vehicles in america are not offered in manual is because the general public wants to be pampered and they are not true driving enthusiasts. I remember when Toyota came out with the V6 Camry stick 2 door a few years back. Great car which did not sell. It is truly a shame.

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Good point on being inside an auto transmission. We don't have these kind of guru's to repair auto's in the military and very few (IMO) people who understand them in the civilian world. If someone has a labor rate please chime in and tell me what it cost to remove repair and reinstall and auto vs a manual transmission. If you work on your own car it may be cheaper for you to go with a manual...but how many people do that in today's world? My guess would be very few.

Does someone have a flat rate manual and can give us some numbers. Please include the cost to remove-replace or repair the clutch as well.

Those big pickups are impractical. Can't load them from the side. Need a ladder to get into the back (the F-150 comes now with one built in). Ridiculous. Bet 95% of the big truck people could do all they need to do with a small truck. It's these people who want something BIG, or it's not a TRUCK. No fwd will do either.

I'd take a small pickup with a Jetta TDI front, slap a couple torsion bars in the rear for springing there and swing axles. Ditch the rear differential. Probably would come in at 3,000 # or the 3,250 # weight of the Jetta at the most.

Tundra not selling well .

http://autos.aol.com/gallery/decade-worst-cars

rme said:

Good point on being inside an auto transmission. We don't have these kind of guru's to repair auto's in the military and very few (IMO) people who understand them in the civilian world. If someone has a labor rate please chime in and tell me what it cost to remove repair and reinstall and auto vs a manual transmission. If you work on your own car it may be cheaper for you to go with a manual...but how many people do that in today's world? My guess would be very few.

Does someone have a flat rate manual and can give us some numbers. Please include the cost to remove-replace or repair the clutch as well.

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Jetta-golf-1993-2001-The motor book I am using is up to 2002 so newer is probably different.
Motor Flat rate guide-Manual transaxle R&R & Recondition-Diesel-13.0
Automatic-No difference for diesel-16.8
clutch-6.9
Usually on a manual you do not have catastrophic failures. A bearing goes, maybe a synchro or gear etc.
Automatics can have so many parts fail you are better off installing a re-manufactured unit.
To do a swap auto-manual I have no time listed. A guess would be about 10-11 hours.

dieseltdi said:

Kabin, I have a dealer here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Area. He is taking deposits and will let us decide if we really want the truck after they become available. He holds the check and will not deposit it until we say yes or know. PM me if you want his contact information.

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What makes you or the dealer think the Amarok will ever be available in the US market?

Seriously, am I missing something on the standard practice on non-North American released models??

Everywhere I've read on all makes we don't get to simply order up one of the models other parts of world gets.

V10TDI said:

What makes you or the dealer think the Amarok will ever be available in the US market?

Seriously, am I missing something on the standard practice on non-North American released models??

Everywhere I've read on all makes we don't get to simply order up one of the models other parts of world gets.

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He's got a deposit down on a Mahindra pickup, not a Volkswagen pickup.

oh, I must have misread the posts. I was excited that maybe some loop holes were developing for such a process

coolbreeze said:

from autoblog


Want a new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck? Well then, now would be the time to let VW know about your interest. Speaking to our man Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, says that the automaker would need 100,000 takers per year in order to make any money on the Amarok here in the State

Link to full story
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/report-vw-would-have-to-shift-100-000-amarok-pickups-to-justify/

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I wonder how it would sell compared to some of the other models with less than stellar sales... such as the TDI-less Tiguan or the minivan. I wonder how many of those they have to sell to make money, and if they are meeting these sales goals. Seems like this truck might have as good a chance at succeeding as those two... especially with the TDI engine.

loaba said:

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/06/is-the-volkswagen-amarok-coming-to-america.html

Per the above article, VW has at least protected the Amarok name here in the US, but still doesn't have plans to sell it here. Methinks the OP's linked article (that I can't read) says basically that.

The article that I've linked to mentions the so-called "chicken" tax. To quickly paraphrase it, the Euro's screwed over American chicken farmers in the 60's, so we screwed over Euro truck manufactures to get back at 'em. Y'know, that's just crapulence all the way around. Near as I can tell, if people bought the Honda Ridgeline, they might just buy a VW light truck.

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I could have sworn I have seen some Mercedes big trucks running around here. What about the rabbit truck? Do SUVs count as trucks?

83 Pictures of the truck taken at the Argentina auto show.

This one is a Tdi with 4motion.

sob.....sob....

http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu275/Ventoman/Amarok/

Please, oh please, VWoA, make this in Chattanooga for the US market.

LRTDI said:

83 Pictures of the truck taken at the Argentina auto show.

This one is a Tdi with 4motion.

sob.....sob....

http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu275/Ventoman/Amarok/

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Blast it all, now I'm annoyed all over again. That thing would suit me perfectly. This is the first time I've really seriously wanted a vehicle not sold here. I guess I should be thankful (and I am) for the TDIs VW does sell here, and that they sell them with manual transmissions at that. But this truck really interests me... not to replace my Golf, but in addition to it... oh well. It's a nice dream anyway.

TwinTDI said:

Please, oh please, VWoA, make this in Chattanooga for the US market.

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And work the deal with Fiat to rebadge a number of them to sell as the "new" Dodge Dakota. Get the numbers up to be able justify making and certifying them for the US.

Reality is that it is the US safety and emmissions certification costs that are the major threshold that needs to be crossed. For those that are sending letters and emails... Send one to each of your US reps and Senators and educate them on how harmonizing our safety and emissions regs with Western Europe will allow a REAL free market to exist in autos. If for no other reason then it would make it possible to self import and then you will see what Americans are truely after in terms of vehicles.

Looks okay as a mall cruiser or some thing for momma to take the kids to sports practices but not much good for those of us that require a REAL truck. Put my 3000 lb camper in the box and 16 ft boat behind it and it would suck big time.

yep... i only need 15-1800 towing for my boat, with 300 lb tongue weight appreciated... but I also want at least a 6' box for hauling dead critters, motorcycle or atv.

VW isn't being short-sighted here. They're making a smart decision.

First and foremost, our dealer networks are incapable of servicing the TDIs that we already have in the USA, let along a brand new pickup truck with an even more complex TDI engine. Bringing the Amarok here would be a total disaster, given the current condition of VW's service departments.

Secondly, this is almost identical in size to the Honda Ridgeline, which has seen steeply declining sales recently. The only thing that the VW has going for it that the Ridgeline doesn't is a diesel engine with good fuel economy and a bit higher towing capacity.

DoctorDawg, you knock Dodge and Chevy's current offerings, but have you driven a Ford lately? Sure, you can get a fully optioned pickup that knocks on the $60,000 door... but you can also get a stripped-down work version of the same thing that is capable, competent, and relatively affordable. Plus, the service network for all three American trucks blows VW's service network out of the water. I don't understand why you think the grass will be greener on the VW side... I can assure you, it will not be. The only glimmer of hope with the VW offering is its potential fuel economy. However, when you compare apples to apples (fuel economy vs. towing capacity), it won't be much better than our current offerings.

I still hope that Ford will put a V6 PowerStroke in the F150 sometime in the next couple of years. That would be a truly unbeatable combination... we just have to wait and see how well the new 6.7 "Scorpion" works out for them.

The other question is: what is the real capability of this "1-ton" truck? What is the combined vehicle weight (truck + trailer weight)? How much can you put in the bed (you can put two tons in the back of a Ford 1-ton)? I suspect that while the Chassis is pretty capable, the 4 cylinder engine will be the limiting factor. From what I can see, this vehicle will not replace American 1-ton trucks, as some people are hoping it will... looks more like competition for an American 1/2 ton truck.

Yur right it won't replace all the 1 ton trucks in America. Just the small trucks like Toyota, Nissan, GM, Ford, Dodge. Probably not much of a market there!

The problem is that it's just another truck in a sea of light duty trucks in the US market, which is yet another reason why they're not bringing it here.