Volkswagen is quickening the pace of its EV transition strategies and growing its ID electric vehicle lineup. The business intends to expand its current portfolio with three new electric SUVs, while also giving the current models newer, more potent drivetrains and, starting next year, a facelift with a modernised interior.
An electric version of the perennially well-liked VW Tiguan will be the initial of these three new vehicles. Although it will primarily be based on the VW ID.4, it will not look anything like the ID family; instead, it will have a more conventional SUV appearance. The company hopes to attract current VW customers with more conventional needs.
The vehicle will be offered with both RWD and AWD drivetrains, as well as 5- and 7-seat options. The new powertrains and, ideally, better and larger battery alternatives will be built on the revised MEB+ architecture. The newly developed integrated battery cell technology is then put into use. We’ll first see the upcoming SUV in 2025, when VW plans to unveil it.
The company has already announced that the upgraded ID.3 and the electric Tiguan will be produced in Germany together. The preparations for the electric Tiguan are well advanced. The facility in Wolfsburg is undergoing a €460 million refurbishment and will be prepared for the start of production in 2025.
VW’s attention will turn to another one of its best-selling vehicles after the electrified Tiguan goes on sale. The T-Cross will receive an electric vehicle makeover and be unveiled alongside the most affordable Skoda SUV as well as Cupra Urban Rebel. The vehicle, which will be the lowest electric SUV offered by VW, will be largely based upon the ID.2all that the automaker just unveiled. The forthcoming entry-level crossover will go by the name ID.2X, according to sources, to denote its relationship to ID.2all.
The ID.2X will be equipped with just one electric motor driving the front wheels, despite being a crossover SUV wannabe. In order to keep its price low, it will also utilise the recently developed unified cell battery system in addition to the LFP chemistry. Along with its siblings coming from Skoda and Cupra, the ID.2X will be produced at the newly constructed facility in Barcelona. Customers will have a choice between a battery size of 38 kWh or 56 kWh, with the latter having a range of no less than 280 miles (450 km).
The last new car to join the updated EV portfolio will be a high-end crossover that VW hopes to use as the new drivetrain’s technology showcase. We won’t believe it until we see the results, but the firm is feeling adventurous and intends the forthcoming car to embody the VW software design skills as well.
Launched in 2028, the high-end crossover will be a little bit smaller than the Touareg. This premium member of the ID family, in contrast to the rest, will be built on Porsche’s SSP platform, which is also the foundation for the future Macan. That implies that the two cars will share a lot more characteristics, and we can anticipate a fairly performance-oriented electric VW.
Although the company hasn’t disclosed any power figures just yet, the new EV will use an 800V architecture and is reportedly able to perform fast charging at rates greater than 350 kW. Additionally, there is going to be bi-directional support, as well as obviously, the latest prismatic cell technology will work with both LFP and NMC battery cells. The car may go by that name and appears to have evolved from the Trinity project.
The Trinity SUV (or crossover) has lofty goals; VW intends it to have a 435-mile (700 km) range and have Level 4 autonomous driving. We are concerned because Cariad will be providing the software; nevertheless, given Cariad’s track record, we would want to keep our expectations in check. According to VW sources, the brand-new crossover SUV may eventually displace its China-only ID.6 and turn into a popular model worldwide.
The VW ID.6 has been available in China since 2021 as well as is the brand’s largest electric SUV to date; it is only 5 cm smaller than the ID.7 and has 302 horsepower, making it the brand’s most potent model.
