The next electric ID model to be revealed by Volkswagen will be a saloon, which is likely to appear in concept form at the Geneva motor show next March.
It will be the fourth electric car in an initial five-model line-up from Volkswagen, company boss Herbert Diess confirmed at the Frankfurt motor show. It will join the ID hatchback, ID Crozz SUV and ID Buzz minibus, with all the models being built on the the Volkswagen Group’s electric MEB platform.
Frankfurt motor show: live report and pictures
Diess said the fifth and final model will be a larger SUV, suggesting that it would be equivalent to the Tiguan LWB, with the Crozz parallel to the Tiguan.
Diess also confirmed Volkswagen is considered a retro-styled electric model. “When we've finished with the standard programme [the five cars mentioned above] in five or six months, the next thing for us is to do something emotional [for electric vehicles],” he said.
He added there was always the possibility for a retrofitted electric car, saying it was important to have heritage.
Ahead of the Frankfurt show, Volkswagen Group boss Matthias Müller said the Volkswagen Group would launch 50 electric models by 2025, and 23 of those will be Volkswagens.
Despite the push towards electrification, Diess said traditional powertrains will remain vital. “We will need both Golf and ID for many years,” he said. “EVs will play a major role in China and Europe. But in many parts of the world, that's not the case. If there is not a supporting government policy, people will not buy an EV.”
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Do I read right, VW will have a proper EV (similar to the one pictured) for sale in early 2018, say 6 months time?