Volkswagen Invites You to Discover Walkinshaw Station in Latest Campaign for the Amarok W-Series

Imagine a place where wild utes roam, where expert handlers capture them and harness their raw power, turning beasts into thoroughbreds. Well, that place is Walkinshaw Station, where Volkswagen Amaroks are engineered to become the only ute reared for the road.

The Amarok V6 W-Series is a collaboration between Volkswagen and legendary performance tuning house Walkinshaw. The integrated launch, created by DDB Group Sydney, unfolds like a tourism campaign, showing Walkinshaw Station not as a theme park or polished racetrack, but as its own world, the first and only of its kind.

Says Nick Reid, national marketing and product manager at Volkswagen Australia: “With Walkinshaw Station, we knew we’d capture the attention of ute enthusiasts.

“But the new Amarok V6 W-Series ute is designed for the road and drives like a grand tourer. So ute-owners and car drivers alike can imagine what it would feel like to get behind the wheel of a vehicle that performs like a thoroughbred.”

The exclusive utes are converted into W-Series in Clayton, Victoria, with the addition of features including custom 20-inch alloy wheels, Pirelli Scorpion tyres, performance-tuned suspension, and new aggressive styling. The flagship edition started with a presale in February, with Volkswagen selling 48 of the vehicles within six minutes.

Says Ben Welsh, chief creative officer, DDB: “Amarok has a long history of challenging ute category norms in Australia. That started with the Naked Ute and was built upon with the Too Powerful for TV campaign.

“The W-Series is the epitome of this attitude, because while every other ute company focuses on going off road, the Amarok goes against the herd with a ute that loves the road.”

The W-Series launch is an integrated experience. The TVC is supported by an augmented reality digital element, the ute’s features ready to be inspected up close. There’s also a website, walkinshawstation.com, featuring extra content and even a gift shop.

Volkswagen partnered with culture publisher Broadsheet on the merchandise: Amarok-inspired beef jerky, and hats. The premium content series with Broadsheet will go live in June, documenting the artisans’ creative and production process, and the Amarok W-Series’ role in it.

Says Kim Raicevich, group business director at PHD, the media agency behind the campaign: “The partnership with Broadsheet is a great platform to make Walkinshaw station feel more tangible for consumers. It will provide the new Volkswagen Amarok W-Series with the ability to create excitement and a deeper engagement around its launch, and add impact in a highly competitive segment.”