Volkswagen ID. SPACE VIZZION

VW’s latest EV concept vehicle makes its worldwide debut at Petersen Automotive Museum, electrifies audience.

If this is the future, sign me up. I was on hand to witness the worldwide debut of VW’s latest electric concept vehicle at my happy place, the Petersen Automotive Museum. For those counting, this is number seven in the ID. family. The ID. R record-setting race car and ID. Buzz van had already caught my eye in a big way. Now comes the ID. SPACE VIZZION – which VW describes as having “the aerodynamics of a Gran Turismo with the proportions of an SUV.”

In my book this is a wagon, a very sleek and futuristic one that I would imagine would be seen in all the grocery stores in Blade Runner. This all-wheel drive EV boasts two electric motors pumping out 250 kW of system power (that’s about 335hp), a sleek profile that yields a drag coefficient of .24 (same as a Tesla Model S), and an estimated range of 300 miles. With seating for four to five occupants I can only definitively say that avant one really badly (see what I did there. It’s a wagon, get it).

The interior is as beautiful as the exterior. This being a concept car the designers had to throw some serious creativity into the mix. First off, an augmented reality (AR) heads-up display allows VW to do away with traditional gauge clusters. Secondly, the ID. SPACE VIZZION features sustainable materials including AppleSkin – a plant-based leatherette made with a byproduct of apple juice production. How cool is that? Kids, your juice-boxes full of sugar helped make this interior! Last but not least, VW solved the last-mile problem by incorporating two electric longboards underneath the cavernous 20+ cubic ft. luggage compartment.

We’re told that this is not that far off from what we can expect to see when the production version bows in 2021. Not only is this concept car exciting, but it’s also amazing to watch a huge and storied company like Volkswagen literally thrust itself into the future right before our eyes. This is beyond a ploy to reduce fines and backlash from the diesel scandal — VW is behind Electrify America which has a mission of deploying charging stations across the nation to speed up EV adoption. The company has made a clear commitment and heavy investment in building as many types of EVs and customers demand on its MEB modular electric drive platform. VW has high hopes for this platform and plans on building 27 models and selling millions of EVs in their quest to become a carbon neutral company in the next few decades.

If the production version has this much style and functionality and can come in at a reasonable (let’s say sub-$40k) price point, I think VW has a huge hit on its hands.

For more information, visit Volkswagen’s newsroom.