Volkswagen unveiled its all-electric I.D. Concept at the 2016 Paris Motor Show and the its I.D. Crozz crossover concept in Shanghai in April 2017. The four-door I.D. Crozz, displayed in Shanghai, is expected to travel more than 300 miles on a single charge. It is slated for production in 2020. This week a slide presentation leaked via Autoblog Netherlands revealed two more new models heading to the US market sometime between 2019 and 2022. The two models, the I.D. Lounge and I.D. AEROe, appear to be a full-sized SUV and a small hatchback respectively.
The tally of upcoming long-range VW electric vehicles now appears to be five. “For us, the three prototypes of this new generation of zero-emission vehicles—I.D., I.D. Buzz and I.D. Crozz—mark the start of a design and technology revolution that is going to change individual mobility and the Volkswagen brand forever,” said Klaus Bischoff, Volkswagen’s design chief, in April.
The I.D. concept is equipped with a 125-kilowatt (168-horsepower) electric motor and provides a range of 250 miles or more. The I.D. Crozz will be even more powerful and offers longer range.The I.D. Buzz is an electric makeover of the classic VW microbus.
Few details are available about these vehicles at this time, but Volkswagen has been talking about a major shift to EVs since the revelations of the company’s diesel-emissions scandal in September 2015. The company now appears to be focusing on the combination of long range and affordability, with an investment of $10 billion investment over the next five years. That investment could produce about 25 electrified models by 2025—across all its brands including Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche. The first markets for these vehicles is likely to be Europe and China, followed by the US in about 2020.
If VW puts vehicles into production based on these concepts, it could become a legitimiate leader in vehicle electrification. More immediately, Volkswagen announced in March that the upcoming new 2017 Volkswagen E-Golf will increase its driving range by 50 percent compared to the outgoing 2016 model. That’s a jump in range from 83 to 125 miles—by virtue of a 35.8 kilowatt-hour battery replacing the current 24.2 kWh pack. The E-Golf’s bigger battery means the VW electric car is in second place for range among affordable electric models, although way behind the 238-mile Chevy Bolt and the upcoming Tesla Model 3
