The new Ranger unveiled last night will be a winner for the other partner in the development programme.

A GRUNTY V6 engine married to a sophisticated full-time all-wheel-drive system – indication that elements keeping the current Volkswagen Amarok in high regard here will be adopted by the next-gen Ford Ranger is ‘Christmas come early’ news for Kevin Richards.

With Ford’s T6.2 ute also being the foundation for a new Amarok to be revealed at some point next year, with likely local on-sale in early 2023, news from the Blue Oval that the top dog Wildtrak and potentially other variants will deliver with a 3.0-litre V6 running through a essentially permanent four-wheel-drive – a big upgrade from the current four and five-cylinder, part-time set-up - is just what the national boss of Volkswagen Commercials wanted to hear, given the enduring popularity of the current Amarok in just that new-to-Ford configuration.

“Seeing the Ranger is hugely exciting for us … we’re highly confident it gives us a great springboard to move Amarok forward,” Richards said today.

“The teasers they (Ford) have given about the spec enforce why you partner with the market leader.”

He says the information shared so far enforces the prudence of VW forming an allegiance with Ford.

The powertrain news in particular should assuage any concern the German brand’s customers might have had about Amarok’s spirit being in any way diluted by that arrangement.

V6 Amarok in current form continues to be a huge hit – the big engine has simply revitalised the oldest contender in the one-tonne sector – and he sees the replacement doing just as well.

“Having the possibility of a V6 as part of the (Amarok) line-up is massive for us – we have a dedicated customer base for exactly that type of engine.

“We’ve found that people who go into V6s just don’t really want to come out of them … so (this news) gives us real opportunity.”

Ford has yet to relate exact detail about the six-cylinder it has chosen, but speculation is that it is the new Power Stroke unit that’s become a popular choice for North America’s fullsize F-150 truck, whose styling Ranger now largely emulates.

That engine presently produces 186kW – so, just four less than the current Amarok’s same capacity, VW-developed 3.0-litre – and a stonking 596Nm of torque.

Ford says it has adapted the oil-burner specifically for the new application, so the numbers might change, however the news sounds positive.

Ranger’s unveiling has given opportunity for VW in Germany to remind overnight that, even though the vehicles are obviously seriously twinned, they will be different.

The German marque has promised their model will have a “clear design signature of VW” as well as “inimitable accents in terms of design and trim” to distance itself from the Ranger.

Even though Ford has had overall control of the development programme, and will build Amarok in South Africa, VW engineers have been deeply involved since day one.

Notwithstanding his obvious allegiances, Richards likes the Ranger’s new look, calling it a “pretty handsome truck.”

The interior redesign and technology uptake, particularly implementation of a super-sized touchscreen that will be a conduit for much operability, are good to see – the latter element will tie the Amarok more closely to latest VW passenger products, which have similar displays.

Regardless of how much Ford hardware is taken by VW, there will be no issue distinguishing one model line from the other, Richards says.

“I cannot go into too much detail, but I can say that VW has been involved from the start and, in terms of that development, it definitely has VW DNA, regardless that it is effectively on a Ford platform.

“It will be very distinctive, not only from the outside but I think there will also differences in the way they drive.”

Current Amarok will likely still be in the market when the new Ford becomes available to Kiwis – potentially around June – but that’s not going to be a problem, Richards believes.

Demand for the current V6 is so strong the order bank is already now well into 2022. He has not discounted potential that his model might yet be subject to a special treatment leading into its market departure.