A fresh report out of Germany claims Volkswagen is plotting a high-powered Amarok R that will share much with the next-generation Ford Ranger Raptor.

The second-gen Amarok is set be produced alongside the next Ranger at Ford’s assembly plant in Silverton, South Africa, from 2022. Signed agreements between the two firms include the production of “a medium pickup truck engineered and built by Ford, for sale by Volkswagen as the Amarok starting in 2022”.

Now, AutoBild is reporting that a “sportier R variant” of the new Amarok is on the cards, with the Raptor set to provide a base. The German publication also released a rendering of what it thinks such a bakkie would look like, which you can see above.

The virtual styling overhaul sees the addition of blacked-out chrome trim, wider tracks and more aggressively styled bumpers. The render furthermore includes extra lighting on the roof.

According to AutoBild, the rumoured Amarok R will likely hit the market in 2023 (a year after the standard models), powered by a four-cylinder turbodiesel engine tuned to deliver “around” 220 kW. That power output, however, doesn't line up with any of the three engines mentioned in earlier reports about the next-gen Ranger Raptor...

Original article from Car