Volkswagen adds a new sedan to its I.D. concept family

MANILA: In another ten or twenty years from now, electric vehicles would be a common thing, selling like the diesel and gasoline cars. The German automaker Volkswagen for a long time has been coming up with electric car concepts with a potential to go sale in the future. One of Volkswagen's popular concept in the electric car field is the I.D. concept. With three cars already resting under this badge, recently the company introduced the fourth and the latest addition to the much talked about I.D. concept, called the I.D. Vizzion.

As for now, the new concept lives only on paper, and we know it through the sketches released by the company. However, these sketches will soon come to life (the work of which is under process) and make an appearance at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show.

But before we go into the spec details of the recently introduced I.D. Vizzion concept, let’s first have a background check.

• I.D. concept was first introduced by Volkswagen in 2016 at the Paris Motor Show.
• The first I.D. electric concept was followed by the I.D. Crozz concept, introduced in the latter half of 2017.
• The third concept is called the I.D. Buzz and was unveiled at the beginning of this year.
• The Crozz and Buzz are amongst the first to get into the production line; they'll also be making an appearance at the 2018 Paris Motor Show.

Unlike the I.D. Crozz and Buzz concept introduced in crossover and microbus layouts respectively, the latest I.D. Vizzion will be a sedan. The said notation becomes more evident from the fact that sketches reveal a car with a coupe-like roofline accompanied sleek bonnet, prominent wheel arches and suicide doors.

However, it’s the inside that has grabbed the maximum attention. Why? If you may ask. Well because the sketches show no dashboard, steering wheel, control panels, nothing. Just four captain seats are shown making the I.D. Vizzion concept first fully autonomous car. Auto critics argue it to be a level-five autonomous vehicle, which is a big peal into the future of automobiles.

Further inspection reveals the presence of a virtual host replacing the conventional infotainment and utility board. The said system will operate through voice and gesture control, analysing the need for each seated passenger.

As for its under the hood configuration, the I.D. Vizzion concept will be powered by electric motors and 111 kWh lithium batteries. With a combined output of 306 PS, the motor will send the power of all four wheels giving a range of 665 km and a top speed of 180 kmph.

We don’t expect this level-five autonomous car to see the production light soon, especially not before 2020. What, however, seems practical is seeing its siblings Buzz and Crozz taking turns on the road.