News: Volkswagen EV Onslaught to Begin in 2020

VW Announced I.D. Crozz Electric SUV Will Come to U.S. First

At this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show automakers introduced a mixture of environmentally friendly, advanced technology vehicles along with traditional high-performance models appealing to a different market segment. At Clean Fleet Report we think there’s some high performance worth noting in the first group. This is one of several stories that will highlight the most significant news out of the show.

Volkswagen ID Crozz — **VW is having fun with its EV lights**

Volkswagen has been very aggressive with its concept electric vehicles, but has been very light on details of when production versions of those vehicles will come to the United States. In August the company said the I.D. Buzz, an electric reincarnation of the iconic Microbus, would not come to America until 2022. At a media program in Los Angeles this week held in conjunction with the LA Auto Show they promised that a version of the recently introduced crossover—the I.D. Crozz—would be the first of the new generation of electric cars to hit these shores.

The swoopy SUV will likely retain some, but not all of the flashy features of the concept car, which was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show a few months ago. Among the sketchy details from VW’s announcement were:

Exterior dimensions will be similar to the current compact SUV Tiguan.
Interior dimensions will be closer to the midsize Touareg.
Its price will be “affordable.”
It will be produced in the U.S., presumably at the Chattanooga plant.
It will have more than a 300-mile range (possibly as an option).
Electric motors will offer 300+ horsepower and AWD.

The 4motion system in the I.D. Crozz uses the rear motor as the default driving force; allowing the front motor to automatically engage when needed for traction, or it can be switched on for off-road use or snowy conditions. The low position of the lithium-ion battery pack also helps to improve handling, adding a low center of gravity and 48/52 front-rear weight split. All Volkswagen I.D. vehicles will be designed to speed recharging time compared to today’s models; the Crozz is designed to recover 80 percent of its charge in 30 minutes via a 150 kWh DC charger.

But There’s More

Not announced publicly, but reported by others at the event—Volkswagen will launch an all-electric sedan in the U.S. at the same time.

The third electric model on stage at the event was the original I.D., a complete rethinking of the e-Golf compact hatchback. VW said it has no plans to bring it to this market, but we find that a little hard to believe as it is such a clear upgrade to the e-Golf, which is one of Clean Fleet Report’s favorite EVs

VW ID family — **The family got together for the first time in North America**

Having its three EV concepts together on stage in the U.S. for the first time gave VW an opportunity talk further about its new MEB platform, which underpins all of them. Like it’s MQB for conventional vehicles, it has great flexibility (as shown by the three quite different vehicles) and the opportunity for cost-savings by using the common architecture.

VW’s news was not all about EVs, for it made a point of noting that it’s sales for 2017 were up almost 10 percent compared to last year, a number better than the industry average, which was attributed in part to the introduction of two new SUVs—the all-new Atlas and restyled Tiguan . The executives also mentioned that a new, more fuel efficient internal combustion engine was coming next year, along with an all-new Jetta compact sedan and a replacement for the CC sedan.