Volkswagen announced the 2020 production model I.D at the Paris Auto Show on Thursday. With 300 km range and 167 hp the I.D will also feature pilot parking, wireless charging and be fully autonomous-ready.
It will be priced, according to VW around the same as the now-defunct Volkswagen Golf Diesel.
Earlier:
Volkswagen has been teasing their all-new EV concept for a while now but the automaker has made sure that the sketches were more tease than reveal. But now they've released full renderings of the electric hatchback that VW has called "as revolutionary as the Beetle was" when it launched. While this is a concept and not a launch of a new car, VW seems insistent that this is what the real deal will look like.
The new EV will be called the I.D., and is the first in what is expected to be a full fleet of electric cars coming from Volkswagen. The styling is intended to make the car instantly recognizable as an EV, and the massive wheels, blue accents, and black roof all serve to do that, along with "suicide" doors. This is the design DNA that VW will follow for the rest of their initial EV surge.
The I.D. is scheduled to launch in 2020, selling alongside the Golf. It has a claimed 167 hp motor that can travel up to 300 km on a single charge. Rumours circulating last month are that the car will be able to travel 500 km on a 15-minute charge. On top of the new car, VW expects that it will be offered as a fully autonomous version from 2025. The concept can retract the steering wheel into the dash when in automated mode.
While the details are still sparse, and more should come with the full reveal at the Paris motor show this week, VW has added at least one interesting "what if?" feature: VW says that the I.D. will be able to actually receive parcels for you if you aren't home, if certain delivery services are used.
