Series version VW ID.Crozz to become ID.4
With the ID.3 just out, Volkswagen had further announcements to make at the IAA and said the VW ID. Crozz concept will be called ID.4 once it hits the markets in series. The model is destined for the US first next year and will be the first MEB-based model in the USA.
VW debuted the ID. Crozz at the LA Auto Show in 2017 as a Tiguan-sized electric SUV. However, the study is more reminiscent of an SUV coupé in the style of a BMW X4 or Mercedes GLC coupé.
The debut of the series version is set for spring 2020, apparently, however, expect the production model to have a more conservative body shape, closer again to a Tiguan than the X4. At the IAA, VW is showing a heavily camouflaged SUV in a slightly fogged glass box, called “The Next ID” according to the registration number. The rear is steeper here and indeed reminds of a conventional compact SUV, albeit with a significantly longer wheelbase and thus different proportions.
Referencing an anonymous source, even the name ID.4 was mentioned at the show, but VW refrained from confirming. It is clear though that Volkswagen trademarked all model designations ID.1 to ID.9 and ID.1X to ID.9X. The suffix “X” would also be possible because at least the study had an all-wheel-drive.
Technically the ID.4 falls back on the MEB much like the ID.3 but with some differences. The study ID. Crozz used the 83 kWh battery version with 77 kWh net capacity. The rear motor with 150 kW known from the ID.3 is supplemented by a 75 kW engine on the front axle in the ID. Crozz and thus turns the SUV not only into an AWD but to a system output of 225 kW.
The study’s maximum speed was still 180 km/h, and it is to be seen whether VW will reduce this value even further for efficiency reasons. It is also still unclear whether the DC charging capacity of 150 kW will remain as high for the standard model: The ID.3 with the 77 kWh battery is specified with a charging capacity of 125 kW.
In contrast to the ID.3, which VW primarily intends for Europe, the electric SUV will also be sold in the USA and possibly also produced locally. As Thomas Ulbrich, Volkswagen’s E-Mobility Board Member confirmed in the latest episode of eMOTION (in German), VW will convert half of the US plant in Chattanooga MEB production.
Besides, VW is considering further iteration of the ID.3 such as a performance version, AutoExpress reports quoting Christine Leuderalbert of VW Product Marketing for E-Mobility. “We’re actively considering it, but we need to do some work on how an electric car can also be a performance car,” said Leuderalbert. She added: “We know electric vehicles have excellent acceleration, but we need to look at how the rest of the package would affect the car’s efficiency.” One possible model designation: ID.3 R. The MEB has other propulsion options available, as the ID.4 shows. The only open question is whether, for example, you could integrate a front-engine into the body of the ID.3 or whether a more powerful rear engine would be the better option.
Additional reporting by Sebastian Schaal at the IAA.
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