Before Volkswagen offers North American consumers the all-electric Microbus redux we’ve been eagerly awaiting, the German giant will send us an EV crossover SUV. VW announced the plan at the Los Angeles auto show, saying the production model will follow the design philosophy of the I.D. Crozz concept. The forthcoming crossover will arrive in 2020 and be the first U.S.-bound Volkswagen to ride on the company’s MEB modular platform. Designed specifically for electric vehicles, the MEB platform also will form the basis of the reborn Bus, which will to reach U.S. roads in 2022 and draw heavily from the I.D. Buzz concept.
Expect the production Volkswagen EV crossover SUV to share its fastback styling with the I.D. Crozz concept and cast a shadow similar in size to the Tiguan compact crossover SUV. The I.D. Crozz concept, originally revealed in Shanghai and shown for the first time in North America in L.A., features a pair of electric motors that produce a combined 302 horsepower. The concept primarily relies on its 201-hp rear-axle-mounted motor for forward momentum. If additional traction or power is needed, the 101-hp front-axle-mounted motor can step in and assist.
Power to the two motors comes courtesy of an 83-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that lives in the floorboard. Volkswagen claims the battery pack is capable of pushing the concept approximately 300 miles on a single charge. Additionally, Volkswagen maintains that the battery pack can recuperate 80 percent of its charge in half an hour when plugged into a 150-kWh DC charger.
Unsurprisingly, the I.D. Crozz is rife with concept car kit. Although we suspect the production model will gain a B-pillar and lose the concept’s sliding rear doors, one feature that Volkswagen promises will see the light of day is I.D. Pilot. Expected to arrive in 2025, I.D. Pilot uses four retractable roof-mounted laser scanners, ultrasonic and radar sensors, and side- and front-view cameras to autonomously pilot the vehicle through traffic.
We still have some months until we know official information about Volkswagen’s production-bound electric crossover. However, if the mass manufactured product can offer the performance, driving range, and recharge time of the I.D. Crozz concept at a reasonable price point, then we suspect Volkswagen will have a hit on its hands come 2020.
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