A fresh local trademark application suggests Volkswagen might revive the “Dark Label” badge in SA, potentially hinting at a special-edition version of the 2nd-gen Amarok…
Remember the “Dark Label” badge Volkswagen used on a special-edition version of the original Amarok? Well, a fresh trademark filing in South Africa suggests the German firm might be thinking about reviving this nameplate.
Yes, Cars.co.za has discovered that VW’s head office in Wolfsburg filed to trademark the “Dark Label” badge in South Africa as recently as June 2024, with the application currently listed as “pending”.
Though this moniker could theoretically be applied to any of the German automaker’s products, we’d speculate that a limited-run version of the Amarok is the most likely candidate. After all, that’s the model – albeit in previous-gen form – on which this badge was used locally before (though, for the record, it’s since been applied to the Caddy in some markets, too).
- ALSO READ: VW Amarok (2010-2023) Buyer’s Guide
Interestingly, Volkswagen also filed to trademark the “Black Label” nameplate in Mzansi, making this application a month earlier, in May 2024. However, this badge seems a little less likely to be rolled out locally considering alcoholic-beverage company Carling has long used the same name for a popular beer.
So, if a new Amarok Dark Label were to see the light of day, what should we expect? Well, it’s worth looking at the original special edition, which debuted in South Africa late in 2018 in double-cab form (though was offered in various other markets earlier, including in pre-facelift guise).
That model was set apart by its matte-black styling bar (complete with “Amarok” lettering), while also scoring black finishes for items such as the exterior door handles, side-mirror caps, B-pillars, side sills and elements of the front bumper. In addition, it featured tinted rear windows, smoked taillights, 18-inch “Rawson” alloy wheels and “Dark Label” decals along its flanks.
As a reminder, the current version of VW’s 1-tonne bakkie is based on the Ford Ranger, with the Blue Oval brand’s Silverton plant being the only facility in the world producing the 2nd-generation Amarok. A refreshed version of the original Amarok, however, is interestingly still in production in Argentina.
Of course, as we always point out in articles that involve trademark filings, an application by an automaker to protect a badge (in South Africa or indeed abroad) is by no means a guarantee the brand will use the nameplate in question. So, we’ll just have to wait to see if a new Amarok Dark Label emerges…
Find a used VW Amarok on Cars.co.za!
Related content
VW’s new small SUV won’t use ‘Tera’ name in SA
