The production version of the Amarok, Volkswagen's midsize pickup truck, is coming into focus.

Judging by these shots of the truck spotted -- where else -- the Nurburgring, it appears the production Amarok won't stray too far from the concept version.

The midsize truck will follow the new design theme set by cars like the Polo and Golf with headlights connected by a simple horizontal grille. Bold wheel wells have made it from concept to production, a necessary design detail to keep the truck from looking slab-sided.

Amarok means "wolf" in the language of the Inuit. That animal is one Eskimos in northern Canada and Greenland see as "a figure of robustness, endurance, and superiority," Volkswagen says. Will the same hold true of the truck? We're looking forward to finding out.

Not surprisingly, the sheetmetal separating the cab from the bed is now more pronounced, giving the Amarok more of a Chevy Colorado or Silverado vibe than Avalanche or Honda Ridgeline. When the Volkswagen goes on sale early next year in South and Central American, it will compete with similarly sized trucks from Mitsubishi, Ford, Nissan, and Toyota.

A single- and double-cab body style will make its way to Russian and European markets in mid- to late-2010 powered by Volkswagen's usual assortment of diesel engines, and in two- and four-wheel drive. Australia and Africa are also in the Volkswagen's plans for the Amarok, but it's not clear whether it will make it to the U.S.

The German automaker has incredibly ambitious long-term international sales goals but would bringing the Amarok stateside be a good move?