Volkswagen sells a compact sedan in China called the Lamando L, which is supposed to be a sportier-looking counterpart to the Jetta in the same way the Arteon is a coupe-like Passat. And like the Arteon to the Passat, the Lamando L is supposed to boast a longer wheelbase than the Jetta (called the Sagitar in China). However, one TikTok user wasn’t satisfied with this proclaimed extra size, so he decided to build a bigger one.
The “Lamando 5XL”, as user @justinbuildcars calls his creation, looks like it should be a product of photoshop, but it’s supposedly real. And to prove it, one of his videos even shows him standing in the engine bay where the extra space was added.
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@blackma__ It’s not a photoshopped car. But it messed up my brain. #fypシ #volkswagen #carsoftiktok #cartok #CapCut
At a claimed width of nearly 3 meters (9.84 ft), the wonderfully bizarre Lamando is almost twice as wide as the normal 1.831-meter (6 ft) Lamando L, which itself is already a bit wider than the Jetta. The car brings a whole new meaning to the term “widebody”, and it actually puts that extra space to good use.
Rather than the typical seating setup of two up front and three in back, the Lamando 5XL turns the front passenger seat into a 2-person bench and adds an extra 2 seats to the bench at the rear. That makes for a total capacity of 8 passengers compared to the normal 5, but @justinbuildcars claimed he was able to fit 10 people without any issues.
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https://www.tiktok.com/@justinbuildcars/video/7144400902764629254?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Overall, the craftsmanship of the build is quite impressive, with both the interior and exterior looking as if they came that way from the factory. There aren’t any visible seams on any of the Lamando‘s extended areas, and all the added components look like they fit together properly. Additionally, despite the extension only being applied to one side of the car, the body manages to remain symmetrical.
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@blackma__ Can I call this the real “widebody”? #fypシ #widebody #volkswagen #carsoftiktok #cartok #CapCut
With all that being said, we’re not really sure how this car drives, as a clip of the half-empty engine bay appears to show what looks like the front passenger-side wheel with no driveshaft connected to it.
Perhaps the car is now only one-wheel drive, or maybe they just push it from behind before the video starts like a certain electric semi-truck manufacturer. Both of those options would explain why it’s always moving at relatively slow speeds in its videos, but regardless of propulsion, if it’s actually real, this build is still incredibly unique, and we commend the time and effort put into it even if it can’t drive under its own power.