Volkswagen Concept T from Detroit Motor Show in 2004

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First shown at The Detroit motor show in 2004, the Concept T was designed in Volkswagen’s California design studio and is a crossover vehicle mixing elements of sports car, beach buggy and off-roader. Part of a long line of sporty off-road show cars, the Concept T distinguishes itself through stylish detailing and an avant-garde interior.

The body is a mix of sensuous, muscular surfacing and technical componentry, matching a strong rear fender and coupe-like volume with innovative, some might say quirky, features (the stainless steel tailpipes are located inboard of the rear lights, to improve the ramp angle at the back of the car for when you are hitting the big dunes). This latter feature also neatly echoes the tail lights of the mark five Volkswagen Golf, keeping the whole thing in the family, even if it is a lot wilder than its production stablemate, the Touareg.

More after the jump.

It is the interior that really sets the Concept T apart though, covered almost entirely in black rubber and devoid of colour save for the red of switchgear and instrumentation, the theme of fluid, sculpted surfaces and stylish, functional details is continued here. Unlike many recent concepts, brushed or polished aluminium has been eschewed, and is replaced instead with black chrome for the camera-like instrument pods and visible seat structures. This adds to the slightly sinister feel of the car’s interior and lends a nice accent to the motorcycle and diving gear character of this design.

Although many other VW concepts have made it to the market in slightly modified form (most notable the Concept 1, which became the new Beetle) no comment was made on the Concept T’s chances of going into production at the time of it’s unveiling and it looks as if the current economic situation and its refocusing of the big auto manufacturer’s attention onto smaller and more economical vehicles will deprive us of this stylish and dramatic concept.