Volkswagen I.D. wows the Paris show, alongside Renault Trezor and Mercedes EQ

■ I.D. stars at Paris, with range of 373 miles; heads new EV line-up

ONE year after the emissions scandal, Volkswagen has set out its vision for an alternatively fuelled, autonomous future with the I.D. concept at the Paris Motor Show.

The five-door previews a compact batterypowered car that will be the first of a fleet of “highly innovative” EVS, due from 2020.

It claims a range of 249-373 miles, and can be recharged wirelessly or via the mains; VW says an 80 per cent recharge takes 30 minutes.

The I.D. is the first VW engineered for fully autonomous driving, which bosses say will be available to buyers from 2025. By then they aim to be selling a million EVS a year globally.

The newcomer adopts a design language that will be exclusive to VW’S future range of EVS. The nose is blanked off as the 168bhp electric motor doesn’t require the cooling of a conventional combustion engine.

New digital headlamps wrapped in LED daytime running lights look striking, as does the two-tone body, while the windscreen stretches to the rear to give a full-length panoramic roof. Slim tail-lights extend to the rear haunches, too. A production I.D. will be sold alongside the Golf, and it will share a similar footprint.

It’s underpinned by a new MEB modular electric drive architecture, developed solely for VW Group EVS. All MEB cars will use lithium-ion batteries, sandwiched between the floor panels, so there’s no boot space sacrifice. It should bring handling benefits, too, as this keeps the centre of gravity low. The layout has also helped VW