Volkswagen has been around for a pretty long time, which has given its designers a lot of opportunities to guess what the future of the brand will look like. Here are eight of the most interesting.
Although not all are equally outlandish, they do provide a helpful view into how VW designs concept cars and what it’s looking to get out of them. Some are sober hints at the very near future, while others are playful explorations that push the boundaries of what’s possible to the brand and the industry.
The year 1986, for instance, was a big one for pushing the boundaries of what a car could be. Revealing two concepts on this list in that year, the first was the Italdesign Machimoto. Although it was powered by the 139 hp inline-four out of a Golf GTI, the open-top roadster had seating for six, or even nine passengers, thanks to its tandem motorcycle-style saddles. Again like a motorcycle, it was steered by handlebars that could transform into a steering wheel. Although it never made it into production, it was featured in several Italian movies in its day such as 1988’s “Obsession: A Taste for Fear.”
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That same year, the VW Scooter concept was shown to the world as a nimble three-wheeler. The Scooter used a FWD platform, placing two wheels at the front and one at the back, and featured gullwing doors. Weighing in at just 635 kg, it needed just 40 hp going through a four-speed manual gearbox to get it moving.
By 1989, Volkswagen introduced the Futura concept. It presaged distance sensors, parking and braking assistance functions, a navigation system, an onboard computer, and an electric parking brake. Never has the name Futura been so apt. Although it was never put into production, VW says elements of its design were deliberately recreated in the production version of the ID.3.
A few years later, in 1997, it was the turn of the W12. Still recognizable today in its final evolution, 2001’s “W12 Nardo,” the car was a testbed for VW’s W-configuration engine. The car featured Syncro AWD and weighed 2,646 lbs. Making 600 hp, it could hit 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Although the actual car never made it to production, its influences on the Bugatti Veyron are clear and the engine would go on to drive many models, including some other concepts.
2002’s Magellan was designed in VW’s Design Center in Spain to be part truck, part SUV. Revealed at around the same time as the Touareg, it featured 19-inch wheels and an air suspension and even had a GPS system that could be removed from the car and taken on a hike.
By 2005, VW was interested in diesel and the EcoRacer debuted at that year’s Tokyo Motor Show as a featherweight diesel coupe. Its 136 hp engine, mounted in the middle of the frame, could get it to 62 mph in 6.3 seconds and all the way up to 142 mph. Its signature feature, though, was a roof that could be removed to turn it into a convertible and a windshield that could be removed to turn it into a speedster.
The 2014 XL Sport concept may be recognizable to many as the enthusiast-focused version of the XL1 hypermiler. Powered by a two-cylinder engine, it could hit 62 mph in 5.7 seconds, featured scissor doors, and even a lap timer.
Finally, there’s the Atlas Tanoak. It debuted in 2018 to much acclaim, made 276 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, and looks like one of VW’s missed opportunities, considering the arrival of the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Ford Maverick. Then again, given that it’s a relatively recent concept, you never know what the powers that be at Wolfsburg might have in store for it.
