Who is planning on buying an Amarok ?

[ptannerford]

Hi,

Here is more information from VW about the upcoming Amarok..

December 15th looks like the date to watch out for..

http://www.central.volkswagen-commercial-vehicles.com/etc/medialib/vwcms/virtualmaster/de_vwn/tct/launch_emosite.Par.0015.File.html?culture=en_COM

regards,

Paul.

[phaeton]

Anymore Amarok lovers ?

[Sharkie]

Anymore Amarok lovers ?

Love it ... but won't buy it ... just doesn't look tough enough to me ... happy to be proven wrong though ...

[phantomcamel]

key points

The key points for this car to succeed in Australia are (in my humble opinion):

• after market accesories such as bull/nudge bars, snorkel...

• distribution

• pricing

I have addressed the accesories question with the head of VW Commercial and he fully agrees. Lets see if he can convince his superiors.
ARB - as mentioned in a previous post - are one of the first to by an AMAROK; so as oposed to the Touareg & Tiguan there seems to be a positive trend. Considering that the development of a bullbar osts ARB in the vicinity of $150,000, they obviously believe in the AMOROK in terms of numbers, otherwise they wouldn't touch it.
Distribution is another key. Originally I believe the AMAROK was only going to be sold in the Commercial centres. Having previously worked in a passenger car dealership, I have been a strong advocate for the car being sold both in Commercial AND Passenger car dealerships. Considering the limited dealership network in Australia, Michael form VW Commercial fully agrees. Particular with Dualcab utes onsidered to be just as much a fun/family vehicle as it is a commercial vehicle.
Pricing is another key - if it is smartly priced it certainly will give the Toyota HILUX a run for its money.

One "downfall" for VW at the moment is the limited dealer network. There is a good reason why I only came across one Touareg up in the Kimberlies compared to dozens of Toyotas - the ability to get them fixed anywhere easy in Australia.If you breakdown with your VW 4WD anywhere up the north of WA you either get towed to Darwin or Perth or wait a long time for spares - on second thoughts in that neck of the wood not a bad idea...

[Seano]

VW have the same service issue anywhere away from the eastern seaboard as well....in Australia, the Amathingy is most definitely not going to be a country based ute in any significant numbers. Except perhaps along the eastern coastline, southern Victoria and the Tablelands of NSW. So the idea that it is going to challenge the Hilux is laughably funny. It might be better and cheaper but unless the Amawhat is locally supported....then it won't sell in Hilux numbers. More like Mahindra numbers.

[gavs]

Well, I think I can now be classed as an Amarok lover, apparently this thing goes and goes hard, speeds of 150km have quite easily been acheived, with the engine still going strong!

Cant wait to see a bullbar ready for this thing, along with 2" suspension lift, this will be one mean looking muther kitted out, she's a wide one, I think people are going to be surprised when they see the size of it, especially with all the cabin room, the tub is approx 35mm shorter than a Hilux yet the whole vehicle is approx 80mm longer than the 'lux, all of which is basically in the rear seat.

Suspension is brilliantly designed (going by the photos) in that VW has kept the hardpoint alongside the chassis, (which maintains the roll-centre) and the rear leafs are over-axle type.

Time to start counting down the days.........

Considering that the development of a bullbar osts ARB in the vicinity of $150,000

Geez, never thought it would cost them that much to make a bullbar, it's really only just a few bits of steel welded together!

[phantomcamel]

Geez, never thought it would cost them that much to make a bullbar, it's really only just a few bits of steel welded together!

This came straight from John @ ARB here in Perth; I guess it is the whole design stage PLUS a lot of strenght testing PLUS the money they have to pay for ADR apprval?

[phantomcamel]

...unless the Amawhat is locally supported....then it won't sell in Hilux numbers. More like Mahindra numbers.

I tend to agree with you there.

[phaeton]

I doubt it will sell as badly as the SsangYong and Mahindra.

VW are targeting a modest 5000 units annually which is around 416 units a month on average.

[gavs]

I guess it is the whole design stage PLUS a lot of strenght testing PLUS the money they have to pay for ADR apprval?

Hmmm, well the engineers that do the bullbars generally have a generic mount they use to gain a force distribution curve in material displacement, also known as a crush curve. This gives them the figures to see if it matches the OE data in the force distribution for airbag compliance etc. Problem is that the crash beam, which is generally bolted onto other cars is welded to the front of the chassis rails on the Amarok which can be difficult for bullbar mounting.

The ADRs are complied to throughout the build process I believe, it is only when audited that compliance needs to be proved, though all the components adhere from the get-go.

The office estimate puts development around the $30,000 mark, but that is only estimates....... I'm looking forward to the boat departing friday, then we just count down the days.... I believe it is approx 6 weeks from Santiago to Melbourne......

I have something waiting in the wings for the Amarok, can't wait to start working on it.....

[swingn]

Looks a bit too much like a Hi-Lux for me... But depending on the final price point they come out here at (A Hi-Lux is actually pretty damn expensive) it could be a real goer.

Probably won't be a replacement for a van IMO, but could be a very good alternative to the aforementioned Hi-Lux & the like.

[Seano]

I doubt it will sell as badly as the SsangYong and Mahindra.

VW are targeting a modest 5000 units annually which is around 416 units a month on average.

Modest? 416 units out of monthly 4x2 &4x4 ute sales of around 12,000 is less than modest...it's almost invisible. I wonder how much of a loss VWA planning on making on each unit?

I agree though....Mahindra might have been a bad comparison and Ssangyong is little better (67 units for April 2010) . At those figures, it is more like Izuzu (381 units for April 2010) or Great Wall (428 units for April 2010). Not exactly....aspirational.

Obviously VWA are not targeting fleet sales for the Amarok...wonder why?

[gavs]

The problem is that fleet buyers have a very specific set of parameters that they have to work to and with the every-growing issue off stupidity and finger pointing, fleets now want to provide the most idiot-proof vehicles out there for their staff, hence why the generally use 4x4, automatic hiluxs because at the flick of a lever, the car can basically drive itself, all the driver has to do is steer.

With the electronic complexity of the Amarok, don't be surprised if that is the reason that VWA is projecting those figures. Your generic "off-roader" doesn't like anything electronic because they either can't operate it or (more often the case) feel threatened by it, hence why the uptake of the Prado and 200 series 'Cruiser seem to be in suburbs that have high incomes, not in the suburbs with the demographic of "off-roaders".

All it generally takes is for one vehicle to be kitted out with off-road gear to sway opinion though

[gerhard]

The problem is that fleet buyers have a very specific set of parameters that they have to work to and with the every-growing issue off stupidity and finger pointing, fleets now want to provide the most idiot-proof vehicles out there for their staff, hence why the generally use 4x4, automatic hiluxs because at the flick of a lever, the car can basically drive itself, all the driver has to do is steer.

With the electronic complexity of the Amarok, don't be surprised if that is the reason that VWA is projecting those figures. Your generic "off-roader" doesn't like anything electronic because they either can't operate it or (more often the case) feel threatened by it, hence why the uptake of the Prado and 200 series 'Cruiser seem to be in suburbs that have high incomes, not in the suburbs with the demographic of "off-roaders".

All it generally takes is for one vehicle to be kitted out with off-road gear to sway opinion though

With all respects, that business about "complexity" putting off fleet buyers because their drivers are stupid sounds like rubbish to me.

VW will be targeting the quantity they are targeting because that is the share they can get of world production.

Let's face it, VW would be way higher than 10th on sales if they could supply the demand. Buyers are very fickle - they won't wait 6 or more months to buy the VW of their choice, they'll go buy the Honda or Subaru that they can get into next week when their finance is approved.

[gavs]

With all respects, that business about "complexity" putting off fleet buyers because their drivers are stupid sounds like rubbish to me.

VW will be targeting the quantity they are targeting because that is the share they can get of world production.

Let's face it, VW would be way higher than 10th on sales if they could supply the demand. Buyers are very fickle - they won't wait 6 or more months to buy the VW of their choice, they'll go buy the Honda or Subaru that they can get into next week when their finance is approved.

Yes, I can see your point, but the reality of it here at work is that out of all the fleet vehicles we kit out, the only ones that are anything more than simple to operate are the TD 4.2 Patrol cab chassis vehicles for telstra because they only come in a manual with manual locking hubs, manual differentials and manual hi-low range operation format. We have access to the data that comes out on vehicle sales, opinions, ratios of who and what are buying and where and that is what all the empircal evidence points to. The harder something is for an operator to screw up, the better for these fleets because it means they don't have to go through a complex training operation every time that they have a vehicle failure because someone lunched the transfer case while going into 4H at 100kph, or someone used the tow point on the bullbar to snatch another vehicle off and ripped half the chassis apart. Unless it's as simple as 1 button on the dash, then these vehicles with all their passive and active switchable safety devices and off-road systems will only be a customer based vehicle. I can see the 2wd version being a fleet vehicle, but that's not around untill last qtr next year.

The reason that we are going to be developing the products for the Amarok is because of the potential growth of the vehicle oversees. Sure, Australia is seen by VAG as one of the biggest markets for off-road commercial vehicles because along with South Africa, we are the biggest consumers of these vehicles per capita.
But, like you said, if they only are to only sell 5000 per annum, that is the quota that Australia will get. It is only when supply outsrips demand to a ridiculous amount, that things will change. We saw exactly the same thing with the Toyota 79 series vehicle with the airbag upgrades, people were on a 9month waiting list for these vehicles because Toyota Australia were only allocated a set volume for the last quarter of 2009, all of which went out to customers on the first delivery day.

People will go on a waiting list for a vehicle purely because of cognitive dissodence, if they want it and other people want it then they think this is a good thing. My girlfriend's cousin is holding off buying a new work vehicle purely becasue he wants to see the Amarok in the flesh before making his decision. We all at work cannot wait to see if the hype is a true representation of the vehicle that is sitting in a shipping container right now, bound for Melbourne.

I for one hope that it is because out of all the dual cab utes we have in our fleet, from Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu/Holden etc, the only decent one we had was a Mazda BT50 and we sold that because it was rubbish off-road. Not one of these vehicles are worth the price tag, especially not an SR5 Hilux with ESC and curtain airbags at 65,000 on road!!

If Amarok undercuts these cars and does it with a good level of build quality and percieved exclusivity, I think it will do very very well.....