Crozz No More: Volkswagen Partially Reveals ID.4 Crossover

An electric crossover that will eventually find a home in Tennessee rolled into the online spotlight Tuesday. With the Geneva Motor Show scrapped over fears of the growing coronavirus epidemic, VW opted to show off the ID.4’s near-production sheet metal on the web.

The vehicle that began life as the shadowy and annoyingly named ID Crozz has finally embraced its new name. So, what can VW offer with its upcoming compact CUV?

Range, for one thing. Lofty build configurations are said to be capable of travelling 310 miles between charges, which should placate even the most anxious drivers. VW claims the MEB-platform vehicle will launch later this year in rear-drive guise, with dual-motor all-wheel drive variants arriving some time after.

“The outstanding aerodynamics reduce the drag coefficient, and it will boost the ID.4’s range to up to 500 kilometres, depending on the drive package,” said VW brand chief operating officer Ralf Brandstätter in a statement, hinting that the ID.4 can be had with a variety of battery sizes.

While European drivers will have the ID.3 hatchback to consider, the ID.4 is the first new Volkswagen EV destined for American consumers. Production will flow from Europe first, with VW’s Chattanooga plant taking over sometime in 2022. China also gains local production of the ID.4.

Exact dimensions, weight, and starting price will have to wait until closer to launch. As it prepares to foist a broad range of EVs based on its MEB architecture on a hesitant world, VW’s optimistic outlook hasn’t changed. It still expects to reduce its fleetwide emissions footprint by a third by 2025.

Its sales target for that not-too-distant year? 1.5 million EVs. Let’s hope those reported ID.3 software issues get ironed out, as the ID.4 boasts a digital cockpit.

[Images: Volkswagen]