Volkswagen plans to reveal a Touareg-size, three-row, seven-seat electric SUV concept at the Shanghai auto show in April of next year, Autocar reports, previewing a production version expected to join the range in 2021. Planned to be based on the larger version of the automaker's electric MEB platform, the model is being developed under the working name ID Lounge alongside two other SUVs expected to become a part of the ID range by 2022. They were previewed earlier in concept form by the ID Crozz concept.
Expected to be one of the top offerings in the ID range, in addition to the reborn (electric) Microbus, the ID Lounge concept is expected to be powered by two electric motors, one at each axle, and to offer a 111-kWh lithium-ion battery, which should give it a range of 372 miles on a full charge.
The smallest ID Crozz model in the range is expected to be more or less a Tiguan analog, Autocar notes, while the middle model due on sale in 2022 should feature a coupe-like profile. The biggest electric SUV in Volkswagen's ID range, meanwhile, will be a production version of the ID Lounge.
All three are expected to be spaced far enough when it comes to size to appeal to EV shoppers with different needs and will also be differentiated from the more luxury-oriented Audi e-tron SUV that will occupy its own niche in the greater Volkswagen AG world of electric vehicles. It's a world rounded out by Porsche models at the top of the price spectrum.
It remains to be seen whether this planned electric model will be closer in spirit to the new Atlas, offering a spacious interior and some moderate off-road skills, or whether it will be closer to the off-road-focused Touareg. Market considerations are likely to dictate the Atlas design and packaging direction, as the production version of the ID Lounge will compete with other luxury electric SUVs of its size by the time it debuts.
Source: Read Full Article