Comment: Why doesn’t Volkswagen sell the Amarok in the US?

Volkswagen Amarok
Volkswagen Amarok
We discuss why Volkswagen hasn't yet opened the Amarok up to one of the largest pick-up markets

Volkswagen has a pick-up, the Amarok, and the US has an enormous pick-up market. Yet, oddly, the two don’t marry - VW doesn’t sell the Amarok there.

Why? Two reasons. First, the Amarok isn't homologated for the US - and apparently can’t be without extensive re-engineering. Second, it's too expensive for the US market. That’s due in part to the so-called chicken tax - a 25% tariff on potato starch, brandy and, importantly, light trucks imposed in 1963 by the US in response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on US chicken imports. 

Volkswagen shows Atlas Tanoak pick-up concept

All this means that, rather than address these issues on an existing model, VW is tabling an all-new pick-up based on its Atlas large SUV and built in the US.

Currently only a concept, the Atlas Tanoak is a very credible future production model. 

Making a US pick-up to sit alongside a predominantly European pick-up, the Amarok, is a reminder that not all cars work globally.

Despite the chicken tax and other challenges, it remains remarkable that making a new pick-up is more efficient than adapting an existing one.

Read more 

Volkswagen Amarok review 

Volkswagen shows Atlas Tanoak pick-up concept

Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport concept unveiled

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