Volkswagen unveils performance Amarok

The soon to be launched Golf GTI may be making the headlines at the moment, but not to be outdone there's now a performance version of the Amarok pick-up - called the Amarok Power-Pickup.

It's fitted with Volkswagen's 3.0 TDI engine - the same engine that's used in the Volkswagen Touareg among others - but with power boosted to 272PS along with an immense 600Nm of torque. That's good for a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds helped by permanent 4Motion four-wheel drive and a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Sadly it's just a concept at the moment and there's no word from Volkswagen whether it will make it into production but with other powerful pick-ups like the Ford Ranger 3.2 TDCi and Toyota Hilux 3.0 D-4D, the Amarok would be in good company, although it's unlikely to have all that power...

The concept car was unveiled at the annual GTI enthusiasts gathering at Lake Wothersee in Austria which is surounded by some of the best roads in Europe. It was here that Audi tested the original Quattro in the late 1970s.

It certainly looks the part as a performance pick-up with larger wheelarches to accommodate huge 22-inch alloy wheels while the chassis is 80mm lower. Other extras include xenon headlights, larger lower air intakes, a carbon fibre diffuser at the bacl and dual exhausts.

Inside there are Nubuck leather sports seats with the same upholstery on the dashboard and doors. There's also an eight-inch touchscreen sat nav system and a 500 watt subwoofer. The Power-Pickup is based on an Amarok single cab but is designed as a rolling workshop to carry spare parts, tools and race equipment.