Rumors of an American-Bound VW Amarok Swirl

Volkswagen’s Amarok pickup truck, which it sells overseas, could make the long boat trip across the ocean to American shores in the future. Recently, the company filed for a U.S. trademark for the Amarok nameplate. While this isn’t confirmation that the truck will someday come here, it’s a good indicator that VW is considering the possibility.

Volkswagen has never offered a legitimate pickup truck in the United States. You may vaguely remember the rare VW Type 2 bus pickup that looked like the hippie bus turned workhorse or the VW Rabbit Pickup truck that appeared in the 1980s. It was a mini truck with a boxy design and a small engine. Aside from those two options, a true, legit pickup truck has been lacking from the company’s offerings in the States.

Outside the U.S. VW offers the Amarok, a midsized real-deal pickup truck that competes with the likes of the Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, and Toyota HiLux. It’s a worthy adversary to these trucks and is often highlighted as one of the better tracks on the market. With the midsize pickup truck market continuing to heat up in the U.S., and VW’s prowess in the segment abroad, it’s no wonder the company is taking a look at bringing it here. In the States, it would compete with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier.

Before you start saving up for your own Amarok, it’s important to note that the trademark filing is pretty broad. Motorolix spotted the filing and noted that it pertains to a number of uses. This means VW could use the trademark for a whole vehicle (like an actual truck) but it could also use it for engine names, scale model vehicles, and a number of other automotive business uses.

All that means is that the company has opened the opportunity to bring the truck here. Not that they actually plan to. In fact, as Motorolix points out, VW has expressly said it has no plans of bringing its pickup truck to the U.S. While the trademark filing would suggest differently, it will likely be some time before VW really takes action on this. We’d expect the company is simply keeping their options open and watching the truck market. If they offer the Amarok, it likely won’t be for at least a couple years.