Sam Krahn 
The current Ford Ranger may have only been in the US since 2019, but the truck has actually been on sale globally since 2011, making it a decade old this year. That’s long in the tooth for any vehicle, and Ford knows it. They’re busy working on the next-generation, 2023 Ford Ranger, but they aren’t doing it alone. In other markets, Volkswagen sells a mid-sized pickup called the Amarok, and the next Ford Ranger and Amarok will actually share the same platform. Volkswagen Commercial Services have just teased the Amarok for the second time, giving us a look at the Ranger’s German sibling.
The 2022 Volkswagen Amarok teaser looks a lot like an image we saw about a year ago, which is pictured below. Both have a similar design, blue paint and orange accents, but the earlier teaser is far more concept car than this newer rendering. And in fact, the new sketch looks just about production ready, with typical pickup proportions, wheels and tires.
Yes, it’s a little more aggressive than the real thing will be, but rumors suggest VW may be prepping a Amarok R based on the next Ford Ranger Raptor. This could be a hint to that model, rather than the more mainstream version. Once the truck is revealed in the metal, this should be about what it looks like. For US customers that aren’t used to seeing pickups from anywhere but America and Japan, the Amarok is poised to be some good looking forbidden fruit.
And as exciting as the teaser looks, the 2023 Ford Ranger will look nothing like it. Both brands have said their mid-sized pickups will look and feel distinct inside and out. Ford is doing much of the engineering and platform development, as they’ve learned a few things from selling a handful of trucks over the years. In turn, VW is supplying their MEB electric architecture to Ford, where they will sell a similarly distinct small electric vehicle in Europe.
Ford will build the 2022 VW Amarok in their South African factory, which currently builds the Ranger for other markets. Ford, meanwhile, will likely continue to build international Rangers side by side, while the US bound model will stick with the current Michigan plant.
