Volkswagen Amarok: the new Fred Dibnah?

I recently received an email from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles suggesting that I might be interested in a little PR-stunt they were involved with. I have to admit that I skimmed through the email on my iPhone and on first viewing I thought they were launching a new range of anoraks. Not being known for my sartorial elegance, I figured they'd written down the wrong email address and were instead looking to get hold of MajorGok or MajorGeorge at Asda. Fashion really isn't my thing.

Fortunately I took the time to read the email again because in actual fact, the subject matter was the Amarok, not the anorak. The Amarok is a pick-up truck and is Volkswagen's answer to the ubiquitous Toyota Hilux. It is built in Argentina, can be bought from as little as £16,995 + VAT and is available with a 2.0 TDi engine. Apparently the Amarok combines car-like levels of refinement with everything you'd demand from a utilitarian commercial vehicle. Volkswagen makes a big thing of the Amarok's strength, claiming that it is 'the true embodiment of power intelligently applied'.

To demonstrate this fact, Volkswagen lined up four black Amaroks in Reading and parked them in front of a 67 metre high steel chimney. They then proceeded to attach 200 metre length ropes to the top of the chimney and tie them to the tow bars of each Amarok. Then, without warning, each Amarok was driven forward and everyone hoped for the best. OK, so I made this last bit up, but rather impressively, the Amaroks pulled the chimney to the floor with no effort whatsoever. Nice work, especially considering the chimney was about the same height as Westminster Abbey. Was being the operative word. I'm wondering if the Amarok is some kind of strange offspring from Fred Dibnah?

See for yourself by watching the video above.

Did you like that?

Quite how useful this feature is, I don't know. I guess you could earn some extra income as a demolition man? Or maybe you fancy your hand at stopping the earth spinning on its axis? Whatever, the Amarok could be for you, just don't pull the chimney down from your neighbour's roof eh?

One final point, is it me or is the Amarok the best example of Volkswagen's corporate look? Probably just me...