Volkswagen's New Truck Shows Off Its Ford Touchscreen

by Jared Rosenholtz Technology / 5 Comments

VW Amarok comes with a different tech twist.

The wait is almost over to see the new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck. A full reveal will take place on July 7, 2022, after numerous teasers have already shown us the stylish new headlights and rugged looking rear end. If you live in the US and are unfamiliar with this model, the VW Amarok is a mid-size truck that's been sold globally since 2010. VW never brought it stateside because of our infamous Chicken Tax, which heavily taxes any truck not built in North America.

But this VW Amarok could be different. For the first time ever, the Amarok will share a platform with the upcoming Ford Ranger. That means the two trucks will share a platform, powertrains, and according to a new teaser, technology.

Volkswagen

This latest Amarok teaser shows off the truck's new vertically-aligned 12-inch touchscreen display. To no one's surprise, that's the exact measurement of the Ranger's touchscreen. VW's user interface will obviously come from Ford, sharing a basic screen layout with the main content at the top, favorite tiles below, and climate controls at the bottom. Based on what we can tell from the limited photos, VW will get a slightly different design so the two screens won't appear identical to buyers.

Unlike the Ford Ranger, which mounts physical climate controls below its screen, the VW Amarok appears to have toggle switches for the hazard lights, parking sensors, an on-screen climate control menu, and drive modes. There's also a physical volume knob, which is a nice inclusion.

Volkswagen

Along with the screen teaser, VW confirmed the Amarok will ship with over 30 driver assist systems. These include some Amarok-first features, such as lane keep assist, lane change assist, a surround view camera system, and road sign recognition. Under the hood, the Amarok will use a series of Ford engines ranging from 2.0 to 3.0-liters and four to six cylinders all mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. CarBuzz does not expect the Amarok to be sold in the US market despite its connection to the Ford Ranger.