VW is surging ahead with its hugely ambitious electrification strategy.

As the 2020 auto show season prepares to start, the Germany automotive giant is readying some of its new all-electric models to debut at the world’s most celebrated shows.

VW is amidst a massive transformation of its powertrain business and believes that electrification is the most viable future motoring solution.The company has invested massively in new battery specific vehicle platforms and this could enable it to emulate the huge platform-sharing success achieved in the late 1990s.

Under the control of Ferdinand Piëch, VW consolidated all its brands and initiated an amazing shared component strategy which had never before been attempted. This revolutionised its business and boosted VW to record profitability by the late 2000s. With the new range of ID electric vehicles, it is hoping for much of the same.

Industry sources detail that VW will debut its new electric crossover, the ID.4, at the 2020 New York auto show, in June 2020.Although the ID.3 hatchback was shown at the 2019 Frankfurt auto show, VW realises that much of the new range’s success will hinge on a crossover version.

Producing a battery-powered crossover is crucial to VW’s immediate ambition of establishing demand for its electric vehicles. As crossover vehicles continue to grow in popularity, a crossover ID model is crucial.The ID.4 appears to be a more technically involved vehicle than its ID.3 hatchback sibling. This is since it will feature two drive configurations: rear- and all-wheel drive, whilst the ID.3 will only be available in rear-wheel drive.

Powering the ID.4 will be a selection of battery packs, with differing energy densities and price points, much like the ID.3.With much of the ID.4 demand expected to come from Northern Europe and the United States, where battery vehicle adoption has been strongest, an all-wheel drive option isn’t surprising. These markets have a high demand for secure traction on snow and sleet covered roads in winter.In the South African context an all-wheel drive ID.4 model option, would theoretically be very capable for long-distance gravel traveling.

Further Reading

Why VW Should Build this Electric Bakkie

Volkswagen ID3 Goes Official

Volkswagen's EV plans for SA

Spy Shots: VW ID4 Crozz