Covers come off new VW Amarok one-tonne truck

[Oberkanone]

Originally Posted by kjclow

Need to expand into another plant? How about Chattanooga? I understand they have enough land to set up an indentical sized plant to what they have originally built.

VW has assembly in South Africa. South Africa is exempt from Chicken Tax tariff so Amarok could be assembled there and imported to Canada and US.

[dubStrom]

Originally Posted by kjclow

My wife has actually given me the OK to purchase this truck, if it ever makes it to the US.

Mine too

By the way... the South African plant is a "Bakkie" assembly line (SA for "truck"). They make single cab version there, which would be excellent. SA is a huge market for Bakkies. I'll take one single cab Bakkie please.

[scott1050]

i just bought a 2011 ram 1500 but would trade it in for a amarok tomorrow

[kjclow]

Originally Posted by dubStrom

Mine too

By the way... the South African plant is a "Bakkie" assembly line (SA for "truck"). They make single cab version there, which would be excellent. SA is a huge market for Bakkies. I'll take one single cab Bakkie please.

From what my South African friend has shown me in pictures, a lot of the bakkies are also open cabbed with no back wall or window. Makes it easier for hunting and general use, as long as that is not hauling manure!

[TRONZ]

This truck would totally makes sense here. I was told VW is afraid to compete with the F150 and therefore can't sell the volume they would need. Come on, its a diesel! It would be alone in it's class. I thought competition was the foundation of any good business.

[woofie2]

* humming to the tune of white christmas*

I'm dreaming of a white pickup, just like the ones I see on the net,
where the vW emblem glistens, and people listen,
to hear tales of 30 mpg...

[atc98002]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/30/c...rs-from-mexico

Not sure if the Amarok would qualify, due to emissions or safety certification, but it's a step in the right direction.

And if NAFTA is requiring this from Canada, shouldn't it be requiring the US to follow as well, or are there separate sections of the agreement for the US and Canada?

[kjclow]

Originally Posted by atc98002

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/30/c...rs-from-mexico

Not sure if the Amarok would qualify, due to emissions or safety certification, but it's a step in the right direction.

And if NAFTA is requiring this from Canada, shouldn't it be requiring the US to follow as well, or are there separate sections of the agreement for the US and Canada?

The article states that they will start with vehicles over ten years old and an additional year every two years until 2019. So that means if you want a used 2009 amarok, you'll have to wait until 2019 to get it. Oh, but at that time, you'll be able to get any used amarok, so maybe a 2018. Assuming that VW is still in the dark about how well this diesel truck would sell in the US and Canada.

[lagunageorge]

We can't expect vehicles like this to be imported by any company unless they assemble them here because of the 25% tarriff on light trucks, known as The Chicken Tax.

[German_1er_diesel]

Europe has a 25% import tariff on light trucks, and yet we get Amaroks.

[kjclow]

Originally Posted by German_1er_diesel

Europe has a 25% import tariff on light trucks, and yet we get Amaroks.

Are any of the comparable trucks assembled in Europe? Or are they all imported? Other than the big three, Toyota and Nissan also assemble their trucks in NA. I would think that if the Amarok were built in Mexico, they could get around the chicken tax.

[German_1er_diesel]

Correction: 22%. And IIRC, all the competing trucks are assembled in Thailand, except the Tata Xenon from India.

[Mike_04GolfTDI]

I'm a little bit confused about why the chicken tax prevents us from having light duty diesel trucks.

Does the tax only apply to diesel trucks? Or gassers too?

Foreign manufacturers are able to sell gas powered trucks, like Toyota Tacomas etc. I realize they avoid the tax by doing some assembly in America or some arrangement like that. But what does this have to do with diesel? If the truck had a diesel engine instead of a gas engine it would be subject to the tax, even if final assembly is done in America?

[kjclow]

IIRC, it covers all light duty trucks and does not stipulate fuel type.

[Mike_04GolfTDI]

Originally Posted by kjclow

IIRC, it covers all light duty trucks and does not stipulate fuel type.

That's what I thought.... So why does it have anything to do with us not being able to get light duty diesel trucks?