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Originally a Volkswagen design, the Iltis uses components from the Volkswagen Polo and Audi Quattro vehicles. The all-steel body has a conventional layout with the engine at the front and the cargo area to the rear.
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Not quite, the Iltis was an Audi design. It did use VW components, but the driveline was further developed into the one used for the Audi Quattro.
See the quote from my research below - my web site is gone but still cached at
http://web.archive.org/web/200910271...w183/index.htm
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When the 'Europa-Jeep' project was finally cancelled in 1976, the Bundeswehr issued a new requirement for 8,800 4x4 vehicles with a cargo capacity of 500 kg both on and off roads. The amphibious requirement was dropped. Both Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen were approached to build prototypes for trials.
Volkswagen, meanwhile, had acquired Auto Union in Ingolstadt in 1965, dropped the DKW marque and let the name Audi re-emerge. Audi, being the successor of the original Munga manufacturer, was interested in producing field cars for the Bundeswehr. Volkswagen really only furnished its name and the capital needed. During the fall of 1975 the first talks took place, and in May 1976 a contract was closed for the delivery of ten prototypes the next November.
Apart from having experience with the Munga, the pressure of time led to the step to further develop it into what became the VW 183 Lkw 0,5 t gl, alias Iltis. The drive line and front and rear axle were of the same concept: independent suspension with transversal leaf springs and wishbones, interchangeable suspension components and drive shafts front and rear and the front differential incorporated in the gearbox. The styling of the bodywork reminded of the Munga's shape, and in fact the rear half of the prototype bodies were hardly more than that of the Munga's elongated variant. The production version of the Iltis bodywork had several improvements such as under-bonnet stowage boxes incorporated in the front mudguards. Many automotive components were sourced from contemporary mass-produced cars: the 1.7 litre, 75 horsepower engine originally came from the Audi stable and was used in the South-American versions of the Volkswagen Passat. Likewise, the gearbox/differential housing and clutch were taken from the Audi 100.
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