Volkswagen Tiguan EV, baby crossover and flagship due in SUV push

Volkswagen is preparing to motorboat a trio of important caller electrical SUVs nether a revised ID exemplary strategy precocious implemented by its CEO, Thomas Schäfer. 

The 3 caller SUVs person been conceived to supply the German car shaper with a broader dispersed of electrical models successful each of Europe’s cardinal marketplace segments. They volition physique connected the foundations laid by the Volkswagen ID 4 and Volkswagen ID 5 – some of which are acceptable to beryllium upgraded with much almighty electrical drivetrain options aboriginal this year, anterior to receiving a facelift and much modern integer interior functions successful aboriginal 2024. 

Included successful Volkswagen’s electrical SUV plans are a brace of big-selling caller crossovers – 1 mid-sized and the different overmuch smaller – some aimed astatine accepted measurement segments, positive a luxurious and highly precocious range-topper that volition service arsenic a halo exemplary for the company’s all-EV line-up.

Radical caller reinvented Volkswagen Tiguan

The archetypal to get volition beryllium what insiders astatine the institution notation to arsenic the electrical Tiguan. Described arsenic having a much accepted and upright exterior plan than the ID 4 and ID 5, it is tentatively planned to beryllium introduced successful 2025. 

Secrecy surrounds the caller model, though it is expected to connection the prime of some rear-wheel thrust and four-wheel thrust on with a modular five-seat and optional seven-seat interior layout. 

The ground for Volkswagen’s upcoming mid-range electrical SUV is the company’s caller MEB+ architecture – a further developed mentation of today’s MEB operation announced by Schäfer successful 2022. 

“The MEB inactive has a batch of potential. Our extremity is to instrumentality the level to the adjacent level,” helium said. “To execute this, we are investing substantially successful upgrading it. With the MEB+, we volition past beryllium successful an fantabulous presumption for the years to come.” 

Among the cardinal developments planned for the MEB+ is the adoption of caller unified artillery compartment technology, which, Volkswagen has confirmed, is earmarked to beryllium introduced successful 2025. This suggests the electrical Tiguan volition not beryllium launched earlier the mediate of the decade. 

The MEB+ level volition alteration higher charging speeds and greater ranges than those achieved by MEB models today, meaning the Tiguan EV volition beforehand beyond the 170kW charging capableness and 324-mile scope offered by the ID 4 Pro’s 77kWh battery. 

Although determination person been suggestions that the electrical Tiguan could regenerate the ID 4 and ID 5, this is denied by Schäfer, who indicates the 3 models volition co-exist alongside each different successful an expanded Volkswagen line-up.

“This is the world’s largest conveyance segment, which is besides location to our fashionable Tiguan. The caller exemplary tin complement our ID 4 and ID 5,” helium said. 

A motion of conscionable however precocious Volkswagen’s plans for an electrical Tiguan are is the confirmation that it volition beryllium produced alongside the precocious facelifted Volkswagen ID 3 successful Germany. 

In mentation for the model’s arrival, Volkswagen is investing €460 cardinal (£406m) successful the translation and retooling of its Wolfsburg manufacturing headquarters, with enactment owed to beryllium completed by the extremity of 2025.

Speaking astir the plans, Schäfer said: “We are moving intimately with the works assembly to bring different electrical exemplary based connected the MEB+ to Wolfsburg. This volition beryllium a high-volume exemplary successful the SUV segment.”

£22k ID2 spawns entry-level electrical SUV 

Following the accomplishment of the electrical Tiguan, Volkswagen plans to present a caller entry-level SUV arsenic an electrical alternate to the existing Volkswagen T-Cross. 

Closely related to an upcoming caller entry-level Skoda SUV and the accumulation mentation of Cupra’s Urban Rebel, the astir affordable of Volkswagen’s aboriginal ID SUV models is tentatively scheduled for motorboat successful 2026, perchance wearing the ID 2X name. 

As with the ID 2 hatchback revealed by Volkswagen past month, the compact SUV is acceptable to beryllium offered exclusively with a single-motor, front-wheel-drive configuration. Autocar’s sources accidental it is besides scheduled to follow Volkswagen’s unified compartment artillery exertion with LFP chemistry. 

Riding higher and expected to outgo somewhat much than the ID 2 supermini, which is targeting a £22,000 basal price, the ID 2X is expected to beryllium built alongside its sibling and their Cupra and Skoda equivalents connected the caller accumulation enactment that the Volkswagen Group is gathering adjacent Barcelona for its smallest EVs. 

Batteries volition beryllium supplied by an associated mill based nearby, successful Sagunto, and operated by the company’s caller PowerCo division. 

Volkswagen has already confirmed that the smaller MEB architecture tin accommodate batteries of either 38kWh oregon 56kWh capableness and, truthful equipped, immoderate ID 2 SUV could reasonably beryllium expected to connection betwixt 180 and 260 miles of range, based connected the supermini’s claimed maximum of 280 miles. The highest charging velocity volition beryllium 125kW, which volition alteration a 10-80% top-up clip of 20 minutes.

Volkswagen Trinity reborn arsenic tech-focused SUV

The astir costly and precocious of the 3 caller SUVs is already nether improvement astatine Volkswagen’s Braunschweig R&D centre successful Germany and is simply a “premium-market crossover-cum-SUV” that has evolved from the company’s troubled Trinity project. 

Described arsenic a “technological showcase” for Volkswagen’s electrical drivetrain and bundle capabilities, it volition inhabit a presumption successful the line-up betwixt the existing Tiguan and Touareg. 

It volition beryllium disposable with some rear-wheel-drive long-range and dual-motor show drivetrains, according to Volkswagen sources with cognition of the company’s aboriginal exemplary plans. Set for motorboat successful 2028, the caller range-topping ID SUV is based connected Volkswagen’s Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) – a caller electrical car operation initially engineered nether Schäfer’s predecessor, Ralf Brandstätter. 

Among the developments acceptable to beryllium included connected the SSP is simply a caller 800V electrical architecture. This volition let Volkswagen’s caller electrical flagship SUV to enactment charging beyond 350kW arsenic good arsenic bi-directional charging functionality astatine higher capacities than that offered by today’s ID cars. 

The SSP is besides destined to person Volkswagen’s caller unified artillery compartment technology. Aimed astatine providing a accordant artillery packaging plan crossed each aboriginal measurement models wrong the Volkswagen Group, it features a modular prismatic compartment plan but is claimed to beryllium capable to enactment a fig of differing chemistries. These see LFP cells for much affordable models and NMC cells with a precocious nickel contented for premium cars. 

Although it’s inactive aboriginal days, Schäfer is said to person outlined akin improvement targets for the caller Trinity SUV arsenic those of the saloon primitively projected by Brandstätter successful 2021. Among them are a 435-mile range, level-four autonomous driving capability, and a Cariad-developed bundle bundle that volition let buyers to acquisition caller features and upgrade their car via 5G over-the-air connectivity. 

Design details of Volkswagen’s aboriginal range-topping electrical exemplary stay tightly nether wraps, but the suggestions are that it could yet supplant the Chinese-market ID 6 – a 4878mm-long exemplary that offers seating for up to 7 successful 3 rows of seats – connected merchantability since 2021. 

Produced by Volkswagen’s Chinese joint-venture partners FAW and SAIC, the MEB-based ID 6 comes with a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive set-up that develops a combined output of 302bhp. It is mated to a 77kWh lithium ion artillery that enables a scope of up to 280 miles connected China’s CLTC trial cycle.