Full electric versions are coming by the end of the decade.
Volkswagen has been working on its new Ford Ranger-based Amarok and recently posted new sketches that preview what to expect from a styling standpoint. At the same time, the 2023 Ford Ranger has been revealed for overseas markets in both regular and Raptor forms. The US market launch should follow soon, but Ford is already working on the next big thing – electrification.
The automaker has made it clear that a hybrid model is coming and that a full EV would be possible, and now it has been officially confirmed that both the Ranger and the Volkswagen Amarok will go electric by 2030.
The news comes via Australian publication Drive following a media presentation for the new Amarok in Germany, where Lars Krause, Volkswagen Commerical Vehicle board member, had the following to say: “We’re looking at a pure electric version. It is still early, but it is something we are considering within the lifecycle.”
This is after Volkswagen opted against fitting the new Amarok with the plug-in hybrid drivetrain planned for the Ranger.
“Right now, we’re not satisfied with the electric range of the plug-in hybrid,” said Krause. “I’d never say never, but we’re looking more towards a full electric version.”
Interestingly, he says that the chassis of the new Amarok and Ranger could accept a pure EV drivetrain and battery pack: “Yes, we think it is possible. Obviously, we’d need to modify certain elements. But, yes, we are seriously considering an electric variant.”
In an earlier interview, the global chief engineer for the two trucks, Ian Foston, would not confirm exactly where the Ranger was headed but did say that the possibility is there, depending on what customers want: “With Ranger and the T6 platform, we’re looking at that and saying, at a point in time, ‘what would the customer want?’ And then we can provide that energy option to them.”
Thus, it appears that both brands are keen on using the existing platform to provide all-new EVs, and if it is the existing T6 setup that gets turned into a full EV, then we can expect a reveal before the end of the decade and the reveal of each truck’s replacement. As for whether these will come to the US, only time will tell.
