VW Amarok - a wolf on the prowl

VW's new Amarok workhorse.

Volkswagen has called its new workhorse ute the Amarok, continuing its policy of naming its vehicles after natural phenomena and mythical creatures.

The name is Inuit for "wolf", says VW. The Inuit people regard the wolf as the king of the wilderness, due its strength, robustness, endurance and superiority.

Amarok also roughly translates to "he loves stones" in the slang Spanish of Argentina and slang Portuguese of Brazil. Perhaps that is one reason why VW will build the commercial carry-all in South America.

"The name fits to a tee the characteristics of our pick-up, which will set new standards in its class," says VW commercial chief Stephan Schaller. "We took great care selecting this name, which can be used globally. The Amarok is meant to invoke positive associations in all relevant international markets and make a more convincing argument than its established competitors right from the start."

VW has been playing a name game for years. Passat is German for trade winds. Polo has something to do with polar winds, just as Jetta has with the jet stream. Golf has more to do with the Gulf Stream than the game.

Touareg is named after a nomadic tribe in the Sahara Desert. Tiguan is a mix of tiger and the iguana lizard.

At one point in the development of Tiguan, VW was considering the name Beduin, a variation of bedouin and a family link to the Touareg.

Eos, the company's tin-top convertible, is named after the mythical Greek goddess of the dawn.

The Amarok goes into production at VW's plant near Buenos Aires in October and will go on sale in Europe soon after. New Zealand can expect it here later in 2010.

It is the first commercial ute of its kind from a European carmaker, challenging Japanese models like the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navarra and Mitsubishi Triton.

Says Schaller: "The Amarok lifts our brand into a new, even more international dimension. It is extremely important for the growth of the entire VW Group and constitutes a logical strategic addition to the global range."

The new model will be launched as a double-cab pickup with four-wheel drive. A single-cab version will be available at a later date.

The pickup first appeared as a concept vehicle at the Frankfurt motor show. The production model will come standard with next-generation diesel engines.

VW says it will be the most fuel-efficient and cleanest in the commercial ute segment.