Today’s Coolest Volkswagen Concept Cars

Volkswagen Concept cars have been made into many memorable vehicles through the years. Napleton News takes a look at the coolest of these concepts. Read on to take a trip down memory lane with us.

Volkswagen Concept Cars

Volkswagen Concept Cars were named for bugs, others for animals, cities or just Things. Regardless, they didn’t just hatch themselves onto the road. They started as concepts that later transitioned into actual production vehicles. You might remember some of their names: the Beetle, Rabbit, Taos and er, the Thing.

A concept car is built to test an idea or a concept before going into production. With the cost of vehicle development skyrocketing to 6-billion dollars each, it is always a good idea to test the concept before going into production.

Why design a concept vehicle at all? They are made for several reasons, like testing technology but mostly to test a vision of the future. Some even passed the taste test, going into actual production. Some were even quite successful in the marketplace. In the case of Volkswagen, it gave the company to push the envelope and allowed management and customers to think about what could be coming next.

These are some that VW tried and then, sometimes wisely or not, decided against building them.

Italdesign Machimoto

A cross between a motorcycle, convertible, and family car with a little Flintstones tossed in for added emphasis. The 1986 Machimoto was based on the Golf GTi platform. It featured flexible seating for six or nine passengers using tandem motorcycle-style seating. VW recommended passengers wear helmets while cruising. Though never produced, it was featured in several Italian movies.

Scooter

The 1986 Volkswagen Scooter concept was a front-wheel drive three-wheeler with the engine located in the front. It was built around a two-door coupe body and utilized bold styling prevalent in the 1980s along with a pair of gull-wing doors. Power was delivered to the front wheels via a 40 horsepower engine. It got VW thinking about further scooter designs. Years later, VW introduced a pair of two-wheel scooters at the 2019 Geneva Auto Show.

The Futura

VW’s take on a futuristic Mini-Van with gull-wind doors, the VW Futura included advanced technology like distance sensors, parking and braking assistance functions, navigation, onboard computer and an electric parking brake. It was met with instant acclaim. Its two gull-wings allowed easy access to both front and rear seating. It featured an evaporation cooling system and a mechanical supercharger for a total of 82 hp. It never went to market, but certain design elements made their way onto the Volkswagen ID.3 that debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Salon.

W12 Nardo

Designed to test a W12 engine, the W12 Nardo was uniquely Volkswagen. Designed to test a new engine in a W-configuration, the W12 Nardo was introduced in 1997 and reintroduced in 2001 and named after the famous Nardo test track in Italy. Constructed by an Italian design team, they were tasked to build a car that used VW’s Syncro 4WD system. Producing 600 hp, the W12 could hit 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It broke numerous records driving for 24 hours and covering 4,909.8 miles. The car never went into production but helped VW with proof of concept for a 12-cylinder engine that went on to power the Passat, many European VWs and most notably, the Bugatti Veyron supercar. (Bugatti is a member of the VWAG family.)

Magellan

The Magellan was part SUV, part car and part truck. It was designed at VW’s Spanish design center in 2002, around the same time the VW Touareg hit the market. Featuring an air suspension with all-wheel drive, it could carry six passengers in three rows of two seats. It featured a portable navigation system called “GPS to Go” that could be used outside the vehicle for biking and hiking.

EcoRacer

Designed to be the most economical sports car in existence, the EcoRacer ticked several boxes: A Diesel sportscar concept vehicle available in coupe, convertible and speedster forms. The carbon-fiber-constructed EcoRacer was Diesel-powered and could reach 60 mph in 6.0 seconds with a top speed of 142 mph. The roof was its most unique component: The driver could remove it, taking it from a coupe to a convertible down to a low-windscreen speedster model in very little time. It made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005.

XL Sport

A supercar designed for eco-minded enthusiasts, the Volkswagen XL Sport was hyper-efficient from the start. The XL Sport was powered by the world’s most efficient two-cylinder engine, and was designed for speed. It could sprint from 0-60 in 5.7 seconds and featured doors inspired by its Lamborghini corporate cousin. Inside, it features a motorsport-inspired dashboard with lap timer and oil pressure gauge.

Atlas Tanoak

The Atlas Tanoak was Volkswagen’s attempt to bring to market an off-road capable pickup truck based on the MQB platform used by the VW Atlas SUV. The VW Tanoak was a midsize dual-cab pickup named for trees native to the California coastline, .  The Tanoak boasted 276 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, with an eight-speed automatic transmission and VW 4MOTION all-wheel drive. . It could carry up to five passengers.

Concepts are us.

These eight concept vehicles served as rolling testbeds. Before being approved for production, they offered proof of concept. While these green lights never came, certain elements still managed to find their way into the Volkswagen vehicles we drive each day.