► VW ID.6 all-electric SUV
► Due in 2021, based on MEB
► Taller, more practical EV
This is the new 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 all-electric family crossover, a big brother to the ID.4 SUV and ID.3 family hatchback. These new spyshots are proof that Wolfsburg is deadly serious about scaling its new electric vehicle (EV) plan in record quick time.
Five years after the VW dieselgate emissions scandal broke, we’re now seeing the fruits of a major turnaround plan: the new ID.6 will be the third pure electric car launched in just a year.
VW ID.6: what to expect
Remember the horrendously named seven-seater ID Roomzz concept car? That, essentially, is what the ID.6 is based upon, and it’s a large-footprint SUV that’s designed to cope with the rigours of family life on an electric diet. Our sources tell us it’s echoingly large inside, rides on wheels up to 21 inches in diameter and packs a 12-inch touchscreen based around the group’s latest infotainment system.
There are three rows of seats, arranged in classic 2-3-2 formation, so Wolfsburg can arguably start to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model X, which is now approaching its fifth birthday. That proves how far ahead of the curve Elon Musk’s disruptive car maker was – yet also how old its crossover has become.
We expect the VW ID.6 to be launched in 2021, and it will be aimed at large-car markets including the US and China more than Europe, although it is due to arrive in EU showrooms too. Design director Klaus Bischoff recently told us that ‘light is the new chrome,’ so look out for clever illumination and motifs in the LEDs as his stylists attempt to inject more character to the brand’s EVs.
An all-electric SUV
Underpinning the new ID.6 is the same MEB all-electric architecture that underpins all the new generation of electric Volkswagens. This is the ultimate plug-and-play modular platform, so it’ll come as no surprise that the vital stats will echo what you see on the ID.3 and 4.
That points to battery sizes ranging between 52kWh and 77kWh, the choice of front- or all-wheel drive and electric motors with a choice of outputs ranging from 146bhp to 201bhp.
And what do you make of the prototype VW’s French disguise? Our photographers caught it winter-testing in the wilds of Sweden, where it’s undergoing endurance testing at sub-zero temperatures – and it was wearing what looks to be a Peugeot 5008 apron, in an attempt to put nosy parkers off the scent. Didn’t work for us, even at -14C!
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