Volkswagen South Africa has taken the wraps off its Polo Vivo Dune concept car at the Festival of Motoring in Johannesburg.
While VW describes the Vivo Dune as “purely a concept car” that “will not go on sale”, it does say “certain elements” of the show car are “being investigated for production in the near future”.
The Vivo Dune concept was built by Volkswagen’s product engineering team under the leadership of Joost Kessels and will be displayed at VW’s AutoPavilion museum in Uitenhage once the Festival of Motoring is over.
VW says the concept was inspired by South Africa’s “diverse landscapes, specifically the beautiful but also dry and harsh mountainous regions such as the Great Karoo and the Kalahari Desert”. This informed the Vivo Dune’s exterior colour and trim, as well as its extra equipment.
So, what sets the Dune concept apart from an ordinary Vivo hatchback? Well, it boasts custom paint, a roof carrier with an integrated LED bar, a snorkel on the A-pillar, front underbody cover, LED headlamps, “off-road” tyres, styling bars along its flanks and bespoke decals.
Round back, there’s a shark-fin antenna, a rear spoiler, a mounted spare wheel, a chrome tailpipe and mud-flaps.
Inside, you’ll find dash trim inserts in a custom colour, accent stitching, off-road navigation, customised trim panels, a multi-function steering wheel, a two-way radio and sport pedals. The seats, meanwhile, are finished in “Sun City” Orange leather and feature “Dune” embroidery.
If elements of this model seem familiar, it’s probably because we’ve seen some bits before (such as those decals) on the Beetle Dune, which arrived in South Africa in mid-2016…
