It's been a long time since Volkswagen offered a pickup in the United States. The Rabbit-based pickup ended production back in 1984, and due to the odd Chicken Tax law in the US, VW hasn't been able to offer a truck without building it locally. This situation might soon change, though. While it's never been offered in the US market, the mid-size Volkswagen Amarok has proven successful worldwide. VW trademarked the name for the US in 2018, but the model never ended up arriving stateside.

The German automaker has once again filed to protect the "Amarok" name with the USPTO on May 13, 2021, and this time might not be a false alarm. Thanks to a partnership between VW and Ford, the next-generation Amarok could end up in North America.

The Ford-VW partnership will yield Ford-branded electric vehicles using the VW MEB architecture and a Volkswagen-branded pickup truck using the next-generation Ford Ranger platform. Since the Ford Ranger should be built and sold in the US, there's no reason why the Amarok couldn't be built alongside it at the same factory, thus avoiding the Chicken Tax.

VW has hinted it would like to reenter the pickup truck segment in the US with vehicles like the Tarok Concept in 2019 and a design sketch previewing the next-generation Amarok. The Hyundai Santa Cruz and upcoming Ford Maverick prove American shoppers could be ready for a smaller pickup from a foreign automaker.

VW promises the next-generation Amarok will be more than a reskinned Ranger with a different badge. Rumors suggest the new Amarok and Ranger will use either a 2.0-liter twin-turbo or a 3.0-liter single-turbo diesel engine, both mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. We highly doubt either of these engine options will see use in the US, where diesel is on its way out. Let's hope this latest trademark is proof that VW is finally ready to bring the Amarok stateside.