Volkswagen rounds out new lineup of affordable EVs with ID. Cross concept

Everyone agrees: if you want people to go from polluting gas to electric cars, you should make them more affordable. Luxury electric vehicles, with their large batteries and their interiors in fine leather, are all good, but if you really want to move the needle on the adoption of electric vehicles, we need more entry -level options. And so far we are missing.

Volkswagen hears this and responds with a new range of small and medium -sized electric vehicles targeting the bottom of the market. We have already seen the ID.2AL – Recently renamed ID. Polo and id. Polo GTI – and Id.Every1 Concepts. Now we get a fourth concept, the identifier. Cross, which says VW will get an appropriate revelation next year. The name of the concept invokes the predecessor of the ID.4, the Id.Crozz, from 2017.

ID. CROSS presents a new design language that VW says more “more user -friendly” and more accessible than its current EV range. For proof of this, look no further than the front fairing with its narrow headlights and a slightly curved light bar which seems smiling.

An electrical counterpart of the popular VW T-Cross, the id. Cross will be built on the MEB Plus platform for the automaker, which is an improvement compared to the current MeB which feeds the ID.4 cross-cutting SUV, the ID Buzz Mini-Fourgonnette and a dozen other Audi, Skoda and others. This new generation platform will have better batteries, engines and software, the VW promises – which, if you have already encountered a current MeB vehicle software, will be the new welcome.

The front traction engine of the concept spits 155 kW of power, which is equivalent to around 208 horsepower. It has a range of 420 km (260 miles) based on the most generous WLTP cycle. And it can reach a top speed of 175 km / h (108 MPH). And with a ball coupling, the id. The cross can transport up to 75 kg (165 lb), which, according to VW, is sufficient to transport two electric bikes.

This new training system will be built in Europe; In fact, VW makes no mention of the American market. Not surprising, given the unequal success of the electric manufacturer’s electric vehicles in America. But always disappointing, given to what extent we are hungry for fun and affordable electric vehicles.

ID. The cross will be of size similar to the T butt, which is smaller than the ID already quite compact. 4 SUV. The cross will be 4,161 mm (164 inches) long, 1,839 mm (72 in) wide and 1,588 mm (63 inches) in height – with a wheelbase of 2,601 mm (102 inches). The concept is perched on 21 -inch alloy wheels designed specifically for ID. Cross.

That said, VW tries to use the small size to its best advantage. With five people inside, ID. Cross will have a storage capacity of 450 liters, plus 25 liters more in the fruit. The addition of a front truck is a nice surprise, since all current VW electric vehicles were sorely lacking in additional storage space.

The interior includes surfaces covered with fabric on the dashboard which corresponds to the materials used on the seats. The steering wheel is composed – hastily! – Real buttons to control the pilot assistance functions and more, which is notable because VW has obtained a lot of flame back for its lack of physical controls in its current EV harvest. The front seats can be folded flat, to sink with the rear seats when stored, to create a completely flat surface that can be used for the car campsite.

VW says the production version of the ID. Cross will obtain an appropriate revelation next summer, after the launch of the ID. Polo and id. Polo GTI, based on the ID.2AL concept. ID.EVERY1 – which has not yet obtained its production production name – will be released in 2027.

VW bets that its newly “sympathetic” and affordable electric vehicles will help lift its fortune in the face of fierce competition from China, especially at the bottom of the market. The German car manufacturer, which also owns Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Skoda, Seat and others, did not have the same type of success of electric vehicles as its BMW rival crosstown, or even South Korean competitors like Hyundai and Kia. Its European sales were a positive point in a portfolio otherwise uneven, which may explain why the company makes no commitment beyond the continent.