Skip to main content

Top 5 Coolest Volkswagen Concepts Ever Created

Most concept cars never make it to production, but many preview what an automaker has planned for its future cars in terms of design and technology.

As one of the largest mainstream automakers in the world, Volkswagen’s concept cars are typically a bit more conservative than other companies, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. Over the years, Volkswagen has created some really unique and crazy concepts.

It may seem that Volkswagen has been focused on crossovers and SUVs recently, but there’s more to the automaker than just family haulers. As it continues to work on changing its image following the massive diesel scandal, the automaker is focusing on hybrids and electric cars, but it has had some pretty interesting sports car concepts in the past as well.

Below are our picks for the Top 5 coolest Volkswagen concepts ever made.

I.D. Concept

volkswagen-i-d-concept

It may be Volkswagen’s most recent concept car, but it’s also arguably one of the most important in the automaker’s history. Volkswagen is recovering from a massive worldwide diesel scandal and is trying to turn the page by investing heavily into electrification. Although the automaker has the Volkswagen e-Golf in its lineup, the I.D. Concept represents a new generation of electric vehicles built on the company’s new Modular Electric Drive kit.

Volkswagen plans on introducing an entire fleet of electric vehicles in the future and the I.D. Concept is expected to go on sale by 2020, offering a range between 279 and 373 miles while being powered by a 168-horsepower electric motor.

XL Sport

volkswagen-xl-sport-concept

Premiering at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, the Volkswagen XL Sport at the time featured the world’s most powerful two-cylinder engine, courtesy of motorcycle company Ducati. The XL Sport was based on the Volkswagen XL1, the most fuel-efficient production car of all time, but featured sportier styling elements that made it look more like a supercar than a gas sipper. With 197 horsepower generated from the Ducati engine, the XL Sport had an impressive top speed of 168 mph, while being capable of going zero to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds.

Like the XL1, the XL Sport’s body is made of mostly carbon fiber panels, while its wing doors give it a high-end sports car appearance.

Golf GTE Sport

volkswagen-golf-gte-sport-concept

Serving as a concept that shows how electrification can benefit performance, the Volkswagen Golf GTE Sport made its North American debut at the 2015 L.A. Auto Show. Sporting a 1.6-liter TSI engine adapted from the automaker’s two-time World Rally Championship winning Polo R WRC, the Golf GTE Sport also boasts a pair of electric motors, each providing 113 hp. With the engine delivering 295 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, the total system churns out 494 lb-ft of torque, allowing the Golf GTE Sport Concept to go zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds.

The important thing, however, is that the Golf GTE Sport Concept previewed how future Golf GT models could be styled, with sleek, sporty lines and a wide stance. It also previewed how Volkswagen envisions its sports cars of the future, providing more than adequate performance when wanted, but also offering zero-emissions driving when needed.

W12 Syncro

volkswagen-w12-syncro-concept

You might be surprised to learn this, but the Bugatti Veyron was actually based on a Volkswagen supercar. But before there was a Volkswagen supercar, there was the W12 Syncro Concept that debuted at the 1997 Tokyo Motor Show sporting a 5.6-liter W12 engine with 414 hp. Penned by Italdesign, the W12 Syncro set out to prove Volkswagen could build a supercar, as well as a large and reliable engine for its luxury and high-end sports cars.

Four years later, at the same show in Tokyo, Volkswagen unveiled the W12 Nardo, packing 591 hp and 458 lb-ft of torque.

GTI Supersport Vision Gran Turismo

volkswagen-gti-roadster-vision-gran-turismo

The Vision Gran Turismo concepts have given automakers a platform to really push the boundaries of design, and the Volkswagen GTI Supersport Vision Gran Turismo Concept is no different. It first debuted at the annual GTI festival at Wörthersee, Austria, in 2014, sporting a two-seat convertible configuration with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine pushing 503 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque.

Like other Vision Gran Turismo concepts, the GTI Supersport might not have a lot of realistic features, but it does show what the automaker is capable of doing and what it has envisioned for the future of automotive. Sure, Volkswagen might be investing heavily into electrified powertrains, crossovers, and SUVs, but it can still prove that not all its vehicles have to be boring, even if they’re just concepts.

This story first appeared on autoguide.com

The post Top 5 Coolest Volkswagen Concepts Ever Created appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2dQ9V9P
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...
Post a Comment
Read more