MOTORING with Bob Roco ROMEO: Rwanda joins Ghana in assembling Volkswagen Amarok Pick-up

By Ernest Bako WUBONTO, Kigali-Rwanda

The all-new Volkswagen Amarok pick-up, manufactured in South Africa in a strategic alliance with Ford, is now available for sale in 15 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with exclusive assembly rights granted to the Volkswagen plant in Ghana, West Africa, and Rwanda, East Africa.

The new Amarok is available in 15 markets: Angola, Cape Verde, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has diesel engine offerings.

The others, with access to only the petrol engine Amarok, are Gabon, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

The four-cylinder diesel engines have a six-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmission, producing 125kW; and a 10-speed automatic transmission, producing 154kW of power.

On the other hand, the four-cylinder petrol engine comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission, producing 222kW of power.

For Ghana and Rwanda, the Amarok is assembled at Volkswagen SKD facilities for the local market with the assembly kits from South Africa.

The locally assembled Amarok pick-up was launched in Ghana in November 2024 and has since been gaining ground, with VW-Ghana recently striking a deal with a mining firm to add the monstrous pick-up to its fleet of vehicles in that category.

The new Amarok is available in multiple equipment lines to cater for a range of applications, including Amarok Single and Double Cab, Life, Style, PanAmericana and the topping Aventura – all with 4MOTION (4×4) drivetrain.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Sales Manager, SSA, Luthandolwethu Oliphant, addressing the media in Kigali-Rwanda, emphasised that the new Amarok ‘built in Africa for African terrain’ rivals every other competitor in the pick-up category with its unmistakable Volkswagen DNA, higher roof load capacity, a deeper and longer load-bin, more payload, and best-in-class safety system.

Some key features of the Amarok

Amarok Single and Double Cab: Workhorse. The entry Amarok Single and Double Cab derivatives are offered with a 2.0 TDI 125kW engine, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. They are available with an option of 4×2 or 4MOTION drivetrain.

Standard features include 16-inch steel wheels, LED headlights and halogen taillights, wireless App-Connect, 10-inch infotainment screen, seat trim covers in fabric “Amarok” and vinyl floor in the interior cabin.

Amarok Life: Comfort. The Amarok Life derivative is available with the 2.0 TDI 125kW engine, mated to a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearbox, and the 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4MOTION and 2.3 TSI 222kW 4MOTION engines, both mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

In addition to standard features in the Amarok Double Cab derivative, the Amarok Life comes standard with 17-inch Combra alloy wheels, 18-inch Amadora alloy wheel, power tailgate lock, front and rear Park Distance Control, rear view camera, ISOFIX child seat anchors, “Life” seat trim covers in fabric (with seat heating in front on the 2.0 BiTDI 154kW and 2.3 TSI 222kW engines) and rubber mats.

Amarok Style: Comfort and design. The Amarok Style is available with the 2.0 BiTDI 154kW 4MOTION and 2.3 TSI 222kW MOTION engines, both mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

In addition to the standard features on the Amarok Life, the Amarok Style is equipped with 18-inch Amadora alloy wheels, a chrome styling bar, tyre pressure monitoring system, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, 12-inch touch screen with Wireless App connect, mobile phone inductive charging, keyless locking and start, electrically adjustable driver seat, seat trim covers with “ArtVelours microfleece” insert and velour (carpet) mats.

Amarok PanAmericana: Off-road and design. This is available with the 2.0 BiTDI 154 kW and 2.3 TSI 222 kW 4MOTION engines, both mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

In addition to standard features in the Amarok Style, the Amarok PanAmericana comes standard with 18-inch black painted Amarok alloy wheels, a black styling bar and IQ. Light LED headlights, LED rear combination lamps, Adaptive Cruise Control, Area View 360° camera, rear cross traffic alert, Harman Kardon sound system, “Cricket” leather seats and rubber floor mats.

Amarok Aventura: Lifestyle and design

The Aventura is the range topper of the Amarok model line-up. It is also offered with the 2.0 BiTDI 154 kW and 2.3 TSI 222 kW 4MOTION engines, both mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

In addition to the standard features in the Amarok PanAmericana, the Aventura comes standard with chrome finishes (mirrors, door handles and side steps), a body-coloured sports bar, and electric roller shutter, 20-inch Bendigo alloy wheels, “Savona” leather seats and premium velour (carpet) mats with “Aventura” lettering.

The only optional feature available in the Amarok range is the exterior paint colour. The Amarok model range is available in the following exterior colours: Clear White, Midnight Black, Bright Blue, Medium Silver, Dark Grey, Deep Red, Bright Beige and Reed Green.

Engines

2.0 TDI 125kW. The four-cylinder engine with a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission produces 125kW of power with maximum torque of 405Nm. The top speed is 180km/h. Fuel consumption on the 2.0 TDI 125 kW with manual transmission is 7.1 litres/100km and 7.7 litres/100km for the 6-speed automatic transmission.

2.0 BiTDI 154kW. This four-cylinder engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission produces 154 kW of power with a maximum torque of 500Nm. The top speed is 180km/h. Fuel consumption is 7.5 litres/100km.

2.3 TSI 222kW. This four-cylinder engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission produces 222kW of power with a maximum torque of 405Nm. The top speed is 180km/h. Fuel consumption is 7.9 litres/100km.

The new Volkswagen Amarok comes standard with a three-year/ 120000km warranty.

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