For the first time in its 14-year history, the International Pick-up Award (for 2024) has been split between 2 bakkies – and they’re both built in South Africa…

And the 2024 International Pick-up Award (IPUA) goes to … 2 bakkies! Yes, the 20-member international jury said it found it “impossible to separate” the Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok during the judging process, opting to instead split the honours between these closely related and South African-built bakkies.

It’s the first time the trophy has been shared since the establishment of the International Pick-up Award back in 2010. Interestingly, the 2 nameplates now each have a trio of wins under their respective belts, with the Ranger having triumphed in 2013 and 2020, and the original Amarok having succeeded in 2011 and 2018.

As a reminder, Ford builds the Ranger and its VW twin at the Silverton facility (for both local consumption and export, the latter with a focus on Europe) in South Africa, which is also the only factory in the world producing this 2nd-gen Amarok. In late 2024, this plant will furthermore become the sole production facility for the upcoming Ranger PHEV.

“Following the IPUA 2023 Group Tests, held in Greece last month, it was impossible to separate the 2 models from each other, as both the new Ranger and Amarok were co-developed and are made at the Ford factory in South Africa. Although a collaboration project, each manufacturer has managed to maintain their unique styling and driving traits, [to] which customers will testify,” said Jarlath Sweeney, chairman of the IPUA jury.

The latest-generation Ranger launched in Mzansi in double-cab form at the end of 2022, with the single- and extended-cab body styles coming online early in 2023 (and the high-performance Raptor – which is imported from Thailand – arriving in February of this year). Local sales of the 2nd-gen Amarok, meanwhile, started in March 2023.

In South Africa, the Ranger portfolio currently spans 25 derivatives, with pricing bookends of R494400 and R1 184100. Meanwhile, the Amarok range comprises 15 variants (with no extended-cab body style), priced from R505000 to R1 184200.

Year to date (end of October 2023), the Ranger nameplate has amassed 20448 local registrations, which puts its 2nd behind the Toyota Hilux (31451 units) in the race for the best-selling bakkie title. The Amarok finds itself in 9th position on the list, with 2623 units sold around South Africa in the opening 10 months of the year.

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