The cover was barely off the Amarok W600 when Walkinshaw started hinting at the next step. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Australia has admitted the new ute could get additional packages from its Australian tuning partner. At the model’s launch, VW representatives said the company is studying future upgrades. No specifics yet. But that ‘yet’ sounds loaded.
Under the W600’s bonnet sits a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 making 184kW and 600Nm. The same numbers as every other Amarok. VCVA product manager Michael Cenci pointed out the obvious: Walkinshaw is a performance brand, and tuning engines is its native habitat — going all the way back to the HSV days. Officially, there’s no power bump on the cards for the W600. But Walkinshaw Performance used to sell a ‘680 Power-Up’ kit for the previous W580, lifting peak torque to 680Nm. The hint could hardly be clearer.
It isn’t just about the engine. At the launch, journalists spotted a pre-production prototype wearing a big brake kit behind 20-inch wheels with a different design — clearly not the production ones. VCVA brand director Nathan Johnson explained that bigger brakes might not be a must-have for every W600 buyer. But they could be offered as an accessory or an upgrade. The logic? A factory option turning into a dealer option.
According to Johnson, Volkswagen and Walkinshaw are already exploring other directions for the model. The tuning gear would be sold through dealers or fitted aftermarket. Which means the base W600 is just a starting point. So where will this Australian alliance take the ute by the next update?
