[kach22i]

The VW series is what happenes when you stumble on to the VW website in German, and nothing is on TV that evening.

A look at the 1981 Volkswagen Auto 2000 concept [update]
Posted on August 20, 2014 by Ronan Glon
https://ranwhenparked.net/2014/08/20/a-look-at-the-1981-volkswagen-auto-2000-concept/

The guidelines also specified that the prototypes had to be able to comfortably carry four adults and 400 kilos (881 pounds) of luggage, while performance, size and reliability had to be at least on par with similarly-sized cars sold new at the time. The Federal Ministry for Research and Technology invested 110 million Deutschmarks to help fund the project.

Mercedes wasn’t the only West German automaker that participated in the project: Volkswagen introduced its take on what form a futuristic, highly fuel-efficient car should look like at the 1981 Frankfurt Motor Show. Riding on a modified Golf platform, the Auto 2000 boasted tall, fastback-like silhouette with a wide C-pillar, a glass hatch and a truncated rear end. Up front, the radiator grille was replaced by a sizable air dam discreetly integrated into the bumper, while 13-inch steel wheels fitted with full wheel covers reduced drag.

The Volkswagen Auto 2000 concept remained a design study that was never seriously considered for mass production by the automaker’s top brass. However, the third-generation Passat that was introduced in 1988 borrowed several styling cues from the futuristic show car.