The new Volkswagen pickup, first shown as a lifeguard concept last year, is due to be launched in Europe in 2010, and it is to be called the Amarok.

The new name apparently means ‘wolf’ in the language of the Inuit, one of the Eskimo people who live in northern Canada and Greenland who highly regard the wolf as king of the wilderness and a figure of robustness, endurance and superiority. It translates into ‘he loves stones’ in the languages spoken in South America.

Developed from scratch, the Amarok will be launched as a double-cab pickup with four-wheel drive, while a single-cab version will be introduced later. It will be powered by Volkswagen’s powerful yet efficient, next generation common rail turbo diesel engines which will achieve class leading fuel consumption and emissions.

The Amarok will be produced at its Pacheco plant near Buenos Aires in Argentina. It will be launched first in South America in early 2010, followed by Central America in Spring 2010, then Russia and Europe in the summer, as well as Africa and Australia. There are no plans to bring it to the United States, as it truly is a pure work truck rather than the “lifestyle accessory” that such vehicles have become in America.