Demand for Volkswagen's left-of-field, hot-hatch-powered Amarok hasn't quite met hopes, and it seems the company is preparing to do something about it.
Volkswagen is looking to grow sales of its turbo-petrol Amarok Aventura ute – using Ford Mustang EcoBoost power – after admitting its circa 5 per cent share of the model mix is "not as strong" as it hoped.
And, Drive understands, it will be helped along by a price cut from its current $82,990 plus on-road costs to an RRP closer to its $79,990 sticker at the latest Amarok's launch two years ago.
The 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine was included in the new Amarok range as somewhat of an unknown, given ute sales in Australia are dominated by diesel engines.
Designed and built by Ford, the Mustang and Focus ST hot hatch-sourced engine's outputs (222kW/452Nm) split the V6 turbo-diesel (184kW/600Nm) and related Ford Ranger Raptor's twin-turbo petrol V6 (292kW/583Nm).
It has come to account for about 5 per cent of Amarok sales, though it is offered solely in the flagship Aventura, as a no-cost alternative to the V6.
"I'd like to see more sales of that car," Nathan Johnson, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Australia, told Drive.
"It's not far off what we expected, but it's probably not as strong as I'd like it to be at this stage. We'll see how we go with that moving forward."
He said there are no plans to drop the engine "at the moment", and that the company is "evaluating everything on a yearly basis depending on what's happening in the market."
Johnson would not be drawn on how Volkswagen could grow sales of the 'TSI452' turbo-petrol, but Drive understands a price cut is on the horizon.
It would bring the RRP closer to – or match – the $79,990 plus on-road costs RRP the engine was marketed with at launch, down from its current $82,990 plus on-roads asking price.
That would give it a price advantage over its more popular Aventura V6 diesel counterpart – badged TDI600 – which has historically been offered at the same price as the TSI452 petrol.
The slower-than-expected demand for the turbo-petrol Amarok is the reverse of the strong initial interest the engine saw in the lead-up to the current-generation ute's launch two years ago.
"When we initially looked at [the petrol engine], we thought it was an interesting engine, but we may have slightly under-called the mix of that car, former VW Commercial Vehicles Australia director Ryan Davies said in late 2022.
"It seems to be a lot more interest in that engine than we anticipated."
It is understood a Model Year 2025 (MY25) update is around the corner for the Amarok, with additional features, and a new green colour already available in South Africa, where the ute is produced.
In the meantime, Volkswagen is offering drive-away deals on MY24 Amaroks, as well as the limited amount of MY23 stock left in some dealers.
Included among them are nationwide offers on the petrol Aventura of $76,990 drive-away for an MY23 plate, and $79,990 drive-away for an MY24.
They represent savings of about $10,500 and $7500 respectively compared to their regular prices, the exact reductions varying depending on where the vehicle is registered.
The 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder is now available in the Ranger in Australia, but only in a detuned form as part of a new plug-in hybrid system, which is yet to be confirmed for the Volkswagen.
Other deals available include a Style V6 available for $70,990 (MY23) or $73,740 (MY24) drive-away – cheaper than a not-as-well-equipped Ford Ranger XLT V6 (about $76,000 drive-away in NSW).
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
