It appears Volkswagen isn’t only trying to redefine the hot hatch for the electric era.
Barely a week after pulling the covers off the ID.GTI Concept car at the IAA Show in Munich, the German carmaker used an ID Drivers Club event in Switzerland to reveal its vision of a battery-powered sports car.
Now you wouldn’t normally associate Volkswagen with super-saloons, but the new ID.X concept car that you see here has some serious performance credentials.
Based on the company’s ID.7 flagship sedan that went on sale in Germany recently, the ID.X show car has an all-wheel drive system in which permanently excited synchronous motors on each axle collectively produce 441kW.
Volkswagen says this motor type is ideal for delivering short-term power in the form of a boost function.
The carmaker didn’t provide any acceleration figures, and the driving range also remains a mystery for now, although it does promise short charging times with a charging capacity of up to 200kW.
The ID.X concept has some cool exterior features too, such as 20-inch sports alloy wheels with 265 racing tyres, while the unique front splitter, rear diffuser and wing spoiler are made from carbon fibre.
While road holding would naturally be impressive thanks to the MEB platform’s floor-mounted batteries creating a low centre of gravity, engineers have taken things further with the ID.X concept by lowering and stiffening the suspension.
“The MEB offers many fantastic possibilities for approaching vehicle development with a great deal of creativity. It was clear to us that we wanted to base our new show car on the ID.7 and that we would focus on enhancing the performance. In this way we can show what is possible,” said VW’s MEB tech boss Andreas Reckewerth.
The electric era presents something of a challenge for Volkswagen when it comes to performance cars.
The Golf GTI, for instance, has defined the performance hatchback segment ever since the company invented it nearly five decades ago. But enthusiasts have come to love the noises and other driving sensations afforded by an internal combustion engine, and these are simply not present in an electric car.
Volkswagen, like other carmakers, are trying to compensate for this in their future performance models, with systems that imitate engine sounds and gear changes, but will that really satisfy fans who fell in love with the real sound of Vrrphaa?
We doubt it, but time will tell.
On the other hand, the company’s electric vehicles are at least developing their own following, slowly but surely.
The ID. Treffen event at which Volkswagen presented the ID.X concept is a gathering of ID electic car enthusiasts on the Swiss side of Lago Maggiore, where they meet to discuss their shared passion and take part in joint excursions. There might only be 130 vehicles in attendance for now, but it’s an enthusiastic enough following for the carmaker to sit up and take notice.
We just hope they don’t have to fight over charging stations..