When a VW is a Ford Ranger

[BMWTurboDzl]

I know a lot of people want a Amarok in the US but why wait when you can buy a Ranger? Haha.

 

[shortyb]

Makes sense. Both share the same platform and have assembly facilities in South Africa for global markets. Good ole USA Rangers are assembled in Michigan, but have lots of components that are Hecho en Mexico. You'll probably never see an Amorak here unless they decide to build it here due to the chicken tax, which is still in place from 1964. It was really about chickens and seems LBJ was foreshadowing The Donald with tariff revenge.

 

[97prizm]

Makes sense. Both share the same platform and have assembly facilities in South Africa for global markets. Good ole USA Rangers are assembled in Michigan, but have lots of components that are Hecho en Mexico. You'll probably never see an Amorak here unless they decide to build it here due to the chicken tax, which is still in place from 1964. It was really about chickens and seems LBJ was foreshadowing The Donald with tariff revenge.

When I worked at a VW dealership back in 2015-2016 we had bigwigs from VW and Chattanooga. They showed off the "new passat " which was a downgrade from the Euro version. I and others repeatedly told them build the Amarok in Chattanooga for the USA market to bypass the chicken tax and make it a "real VW " and it will print money. They more or less were like "AHH OKAY" and that was it. VW owners were diehards towards the brand.

 

[AZjeff]

@97prizm Not surprised. A friend was involved with bringing online a German laminate flooring facility in PA and told me the German engineers considered Americans an inferior race.

 

[97prizm]

@97prizm Not surprised. A friend was involved with bringing online a German laminate flooring facility in PA and told me the German engineers considered Americans an inferior race.

If VW had built the Amarok in the USA what, a decade before the Ford Maverick I'm curious where vw would be now?

 

[AZjeff]

Is it ranger or maverick based?

 

[Ranger83]

//VW owners were diehards towards the brand.

Yes!

All 12 of them….

 

[shortyb]

When I worked at a VW dealership back in 2015-2016 we had bigwigs from VW and Chattanooga. They showed off the "new passat " which was a downgrade from the Euro version. I and others repeatedly told them build the Amarok in Chattanooga for the USA market to bypass the chicken tax and make it a "real VW " and it will print money. They more or less were like "AHH OKAY" and that was it. VW owners were diehards towards the brand.

Even though the "new" Passat was a decent car, if they would have brought the Euro version over intact it would have tripled the sales. Same for a lot of Euro ones that we don't/can't get. I would probably be driving a Golf R Variant (wagon) if they did .

If VW had built the Amarok in the USA what, a decade before the Ford Maverick I'm curious where vw would be now?

A lot further ahead of where they are now. The Amorak has sold nearly a million since 2010. With truck-heavy US sales it could have easily doubled that.

Is it ranger or maverick based?

Ranger. Maverick is based off the old Escape SUV chassis.

Yes!

All 12 of them….

Some, sadly, still are .