We’ve told you about Volkswagen’s newest pickup truck, the Amarok, most recently last month when it debuted in Europe. Now, patent images have popped up showing something you haven’t seen. This is the single-cab version of the truck, somewhat of a rare body style for pickups these days. Yes, it would be great to have this option in the U.S., and this may be hinting at that happening.

The 2023 VW Amarok previews the Ford Ranger

The Amarok’s development was a joint venture with Ford. So this is the basis for the upcoming new Ranger. This could point to a single cab version of the Ranger alongside the four-door version we already know about. These drawings show what is essentially a stripped Amarok. But we expect that it will also be available in different trims including the top Panamericana version.

We understand that these strippers will only become available in certain markets. The bad news is that a single cab limits passenger capacity. But the good news is a longer bed will be available. So you can expect that this will be a real work truck in whatever markets it is sold in.

Will the base Ranger look like this VW Amarok?

A base Amarok will be easy to distinguish by the black plastic front and rear bumper covers with no paint. Also, no chrome grille is evident, going along with the stripped look. While the drawings don’t define the wheels, we expect them to be the silver steel wheels with the little hole like the current Ranger and Bronco have.

We don’t know if the tailgate will get the “Amarok” name stamped into it as we’ve seen in the four-door images. But seeing as how this would mean two tailgate stampings or an insert in the dies used to stamp them, we think it will be there. There’s no need for VW to increase costs and stocking for two different tailgates, right?

Engine-wise, the 2.0-liter turbodiesel is the most likely engine for the base trucks. It produces 148 hp for South Africa and 168 hp for other localities. As most of the trucks in this segment have manual transmissions, we expect the same for this base Amarok. 

Is the single cab coming to the U.S. as a Ford Ranger?

In the cabin, we expect that a 10-inch infotainment screen will replace the premium 12-inch touchscreen. Stripper trucks always have completely plastic interiors, and we expect that will carry over to the base Amarok. 

In cases like this joint venture, whoever hits the market first gives an indication of what to expect from the other participant’s version. We doubt that the cost of development for a single cab version wouldn’t bleed over into both companies’ offerings. So let’s see if we’ll be seeing a single cab version of the Ranger once it debuts. Then, let’s see if it will be available with the shorter box, for a minitruck revival.