Volkswagen expands ID family

VOLKSWAGEN is to launch an ID. family model for the small car arena – fully two years earlier than originally planned.

It comes in the shape of the ID. LIFE concept presented at the International Motor Show IAA MOBILITY 2021 to give an impression of how a vehicle of this type would look.

Part of Volkswagen’s ACCELERATE strategy aimed at speeding up the transformation to electric mobility, the car is projected to cost around £17,000.

VW chief Ralf Brandstatter said: “The ID. LIFE is our vision of next-generation fully electric urban mobility and the concept car provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025.

“In creating the ID. LIFE, we have consistently focused on the needs of younger customers. We believe that, even more so than today, the car of the future will be about lifestyle and personal expression.

“The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer. The ID. LIFE is our answer to this.”

The ID. LIFE is based on a smaller variant of Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix that has been developed specifically for the small car segment.

This is the first time a vehicle based on the MEB has front-wheel drive and with its 234PS electric motor the car will be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, while its 57kWh high-voltage battery enables a range of 248 miles.

Volkswagen says that decorative elements and add-on parts are dispensed with and the car comes with a removable roof made of air chamber textile to reduce weight.

Meanwhile, cameras and a display replace both the exterior and interior mirrors, essential driving functions are controlled via a touch panel on the open-topped steering wheel and a smartphone can be integrated into the operating system.

Personal devices – whether smartphones or tablets – can be used to operate the navigation set-up, while music, films and games stored on the device can be easily accessed, with visuals displayed on the projection screen.