- The Jetta X concept debuted at the Beijing auto show, but this SUV doesn’t wear Volkswagen badges.
- Jetta operates as a separate brand selling affordable vehicles in China, and it plans to launch its first electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles soon.
- The Jetta X previews this expansion into “New Energy Vehicles,” as they’re called in China, with an attractive, off-road-ready SUV design.
American drivers know the Jetta as an affordable compact sedan with handsome styling and a fun GLI performance variant. But over in China, the Jetta name has been employed as an entire brand since 2019, offering a variety of low-cost sedans and SUVs. Now, as the Beijing auto show kicks off, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary has unveiled the Jetta X concept, a rugged SUV that previews the brand’s expansion into EVs.
Details are limited on what is going on beneath the skin, but the VW Group’s website describes the SUV as all-electric. Jetta will launch four new “NEV” models—a term used in China that means “New Energy Vehicle” and includes EVs and plug-in hybrids—by 2028, with the first arriving this year. The Jetta X could be a preview of that first electrified vehicle.
While technical information is thin, Jetta is focusing on the design, which is clean and modern and suggests all-terrain capability. The front end features narrow LED headlights that sit within a cutout stretching across the fascia, while the bumper is contoured and has an integrated skid plate and red tow hooks.
The fenders are pronounced and feature trapezoidal wheel arches outlined with black cladding, giving the SUV an assertive stance. The taillights mimic the look of the headlights, and the rear bumper wears a silver panel that also includes red tow hooks. As with many concept cars in recent years, the interior is minimalist, with a dashboard that is light on physical controls and dominated by large screens.
The Jetta X will presumably translate into a production car in the near future, given the speed at which the Chinese car market operates, but we don’t expect to see the road-going version of the Jetta SUV ever reach the United States. Still, we’re digging the Jetta X concept’s well-proportioned design, and it’s an intriguing peek at what affordable car brands are cooking up in the world’s largest car market.
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Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
