VW unveils yet another electric vehicle
Called the I.D. Crozz, it’s said to travel 311 miles on one charge
Volkswagen Group revealed a concept crossover electric vehicle Tuesday at the Shanghai auto show, pledging to begin an onslaught of electric models in 2020 as it reinvents its global lineup.
The German automaker unveiled the concept called the Volkswagen I.D. Crozz, which comes after the company showed off the I.D. Buzz concept microbus at the Detroit auto show in January and the I.D. concept car at the Paris auto show in September.
Taken together, the electric concept vehicles reflect the company’s bid to distance itself from diesel vehicles, which were once at the heart of the brand but were tarnished during an emissions scandal that undermined VW’s technology’s reputation.
VW has pledged to introduce 30 plug-in vehicles globally by 2025, with a goal of reaching 1 million sales annually, or nearly 10% of the company’s current volume. The I.D. Crozz, which looks like a brawny station wagon with oversized wheels, is expected to reach production in some form.
“If it was ever possible to make a 100%-certain prediction of what the future will look like, here it is,” VW design chief Klaus Bischoff said in a statement. “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.”
The four-door coupe-style I.D. Crozz would be able to travel up to 311 miles on a single battery charge, giving it greater range than the Tesla Model X luxury crossover, which is already on the market. The I.D. Crozz would have self-driving technology at the touch of a button, with a steering wheel that retracts and headlights that peer in the direction of pedestrians who don’t notice the vehicle coming.
The company said the I.D. Crozz would boast 302 horsepower, reach a top speed of 112 mph and achieve an 80% charge within 30 minutes on a fastcharging device.
Volkswagen luxury brand Audi said in 2015 that it would launch an electric crossover called the E-tron Quattro in 2018.
VW said Tuesday that electric vehicles would remain in “startup niche” mode in 2020 but quickly reach “high-volume full production by the middle of the next decade.” VW brand chief Herbert Diess said the I.D. Crozz would “play a key role in that.”
The I.D. Crozz uses VW’s new “modular electric drive matrix,” a platform that forms the technological building blocks for engineers to develop other electric models. Features include a long wheelbase and a lithium-ion battery pack underneath the floor.
Typically the vehicle will be powered by the rear motor, though it can be switched into 4-wheel mode at any time. Plus, Volkswagen said it developed an “electric propshaft” that activates power to all wheels when traction is in short supply.
Klaus Bischoff, VW design chief “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 ... revolution.”