Piëch's (VW) supercar that never came ...
05/18/2019
In 1994, 25 years ago, the magazine Auto Motor und Sport speculated about what a new entry-level car below the VW Polo, which had almost grown to the size of the Golf 1 over the years, might look like.
Volkswagen ( and Ferdinand Piëch, Carl Hahn's successor as Chairman) were expecting a three-door car around 3.5 meters long, with very short overhangs, a cab-forward design and a wheelbase of 2.4 meters. It would have been powered by a small three- or four-cylinder engine. And it was supposed to cost DM 15,000.
Piëch's supercar did not come onto the market, but in its place came the VW Lupo in 1998. This had a slightly shorter wheelbase with a slightly longer exterior length. And it was actually quite a success, with 490,000 units being produced by 2005. Then the VW Fox took over ex Brazil until the Up! appeared a few years later.
However, the VW Lupo became a little more expensive, the DM 15,000 was probably not quite kept, at least the VW Lupo 1.0 with 50 hp cost DM 17,990. For the diesel version 1.7 SDI with 60 hp, the price list even included DM 22,590.
And yes, it has to be said, the Lupo looked much more staid than the smart small car that AMS anticipated as Piëch's supercar.
