2020 Volkswagen Atlas gets brawnier with Basecamp accessories

We didn't expect Volkswagen's Atlas Basecamp concept would influence a production model, but the firm has proven us wrong. It announced a rugged-looking appearance package named Basecamp for the redesigned 2021 Atlas.

Manufactured by AirDesign, a California-based company specialized in making body kits, the Basecamp styling package includes black and silver inserts for the bumpers and the rocker panels plus protective plastic over the wheel arches. These parts give the Atlas a brawnier appearance reminiscent of Volkswagen's Alltrack-badged models while protecting the paint from minor scratches and dents. Mountain-shaped Basecamp-specific emblems on the front fenders add a finishing touch to the look, but the package doesn't include interior modifications.

The coolest part of the bundle is arguably what's inside the wheel arches. Volkswagen worked with Fifteen52 to bring the Basecamp concept's 10-spoke alloy wheels to production. They're 17-inch units available in frosted graphite or radiant silver, and they're wrapped by Continental all-terrain tire with a whole lot of sidewall. The end result is a crossover that's practically begging for mud flaps, a roof rack, and a three-inch suspension lift.

Volkswagen will make the Basecamp package available in the spring of 2020, and it noted buyers not interested in the full list of add-ons will be able to order the parts individually. It added that it doesn't recommend installing the full package on a crossover not equipped with a trailer hitch, presumably because there's a cut-out for it in the rear panel, and it clarified that, for better or worse, buyers can't dress the R-Line model in Basecamp accessories. Pricing information will be released in the weeks leading up to its on-sale date.

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