Volkswagen merges T-Cross SUV and Polo sedan to create a one-off ute concept
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Mechanical students in India have created a "rugged" VW ute concept by merging the front-wheel-drive small SUV with a sedan.
A new concept depicting a ute version of a car based on the Volkswagen T-Cross small SUV has been unveiled in India.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen Private Limited – the distributor of Volkswagen Group vehicles in India – has engaged mechanical apprentices in its annual Student Car Project to create the concept, which combines a Volkswagen Taigun, the Indian-market version of the global T-Cross, with the Polo-based Virtus sedan.
Both vehicles are based on a low-cost version of the Volkswagen Group's front-wheel-drive MQB A0 platform for the Indian market, MQB A0 IN.
Over nine months, the students collected ideas, conducted market analysis, research and development, procured parts, built the vehicle, and completed final testing, with the concept unveiled this month.
In addition to creating the ute from the combined bodies, the students installed accessories including underbody protection, off-road tyres, roof-mounted lights, wheel arch extensions, a snorkel, and ambient lighting, with some parts created using 3D printing.
The Indian program is an adaptation of the Skoda Academy – the car company's vocational school in the Czech Republic – which has seen apprentices create one-off concepts, such as an Enyaq mobile home, a Kodiaq ute, a Karoq convertible, a Dakar rally-ready Kamiq, and the ‘Slavia’, an open-top version of the Scala.
The Skoda Slavia name was later introduced in 2021 for an Indian-market sedan related to the Volkswagen Virtus.
While a ute version of the Taigun and Virtus – or the T-Cross and Polo global counterparts – is unlikely to be ever considered for production, the two-door Saveiro utility is a similar car-based model sold in South America with the current model launched in 2008.
The Saveiro was last updated in 2023 with a similar design to Volkswagen's latest vehicles – however it remains based on the PQ24 platform dating back to the 1999 Audi A2 and 2001 Volkswagen Polo.
It could soon be replaced by a new model on the same MQB A0 platform as the T-Cross and Polo, potentially called Taroko based on new trademark filings by Volkswagen – and the car maker’s current naming convention for its SUVs, which favours models starting with ‘T’.
A ute concept based on the Volkswagen Atlas seven-seat SUV – underpinned by the Group's monocoque MQB platform – was unveiled in 2018 as the 'Tanoak' to study demand for a pickup truck in North America, but it was ultimately ruled out for production.
MORE: Volkswagen confirms new small ute, unlikely for Australia
It would have rivalled the car-based Honda Ridgeline – and it is one size larger than the unibody Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz models, which are adapted from mid-size SUVs.
The Volkswagen Group will launch an electric ute in the United States under the off-road-focused Scout brand in 2026, with the model expected to be unveiled at an event on 24 October 2024 – but it is rumoured to be body-on-frame like the Ford F-150 Lighting, rather than based on a monocoque platform.
Volkswagen has fielded the Amarok ute in Australia since 2011 with a dedicated body-on-frame platform. A second-generation model launched in 2023 based on the Ford Ranger, while an updated version of the first Amarok is still available in South America.
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