Since the first Volkswagen Amarok model touched down in South Africa in 2010, the German model has been a hot topic amongst bakkie enthusiasts. Now there is a new model finding homes locally but it is too early to tell how popular it will be at the time of writing this article. Instead, we look at how popular the first-generation Volkswagen Amarok was throughout its long lifecycle.
But before we crunch the numbers and look at how many units of the Volkswagen Amarok were sold locally and what the sales figures looked like towards the end. Remember that you can find new or used Volkswagen Amarok models on AutoTrader here. Also, if you need to sell your car to help pay the deposit on your next vehicle, why not try our Instant Offer tool here?
Related: Everything you need to know about the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok
How popular is the Volkswagen Amarok?
In order to get an idea of how popular the Volkswagen Amarok is locally, we looked at the sales figures submitted to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). And according to the information we could source, the first-generation Volkswagen Amarok has sold 41 422 units since it arrived in 2010.
While for a significant period of its lifecycle, the Volkswagen Amarok could be had in varying trim levels and either double-cab or single-cab form, for the most part, the customers opted for the double-cab, 3.0-litre, turbocharged, V6 diesel derivative producing 190 kW and 580 Nm of torque. In fact, it is said to have accounted for around 75% of the total sales of Amarok models since its debut in 2010.
Looking at the sales figures between the months of January and December of 2022, the Volkswagen Amarok just managed to remain in the top 10 most popular bakkies locally, coming in 10th place. The German automaker managed to find new homes for 1 781 units within that period. However, considering that the new model has very recently gone on sale, the Volkswagen Amarok could very soon start climbing higher on that list.
Verdict
The first-generation Volkswagen Amarok represented the German automaker in the bakkie segment for a long time and with grace. At many intervals, the Amarok model outshined many of its close competitors in sales, however, there were a few that remained constant in their dominance over the same period. While the first-generation Volkswagen Amarok wasn't the most popular bakkie on the market, it wasn't an unpopular model either.
