Volkswagen ID.5 Pre-Production Has Begun
Two years ago, Volkswagen was flooding the blogosphere with concept vehicles which it said would be built on its multi-use MEB electric car platform, all of them given names that used lots of Zs. There was the Crozz, Roomzz, and Buzz plus the super exciting ID Buggy, a modern interpretation of the iconic Myers Manx from the days when Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys ruled the pop charts.
We now have the ID.3 5-door hatchback and the ID.4 compact SUV in production. Recently, the company leaked news about the ID.6 — a 7-passenger version of the ID.4 — on a Chinese government website. Over at Reddit, sharp eyed readers have spotted photos of the ID.7 — aka ID Buzz — undergoing testing on public roads. The photos show a VW T6 van but it is adorned with electric car license plates, indicating that it is a test mule that uses the MEB powertrain.
Wait, have you noticed a gap in the model numbers? We have ID.3, 4, 6, and 7. Where is ID.5? Better yet, what is ID.5? Now we know. According to Electrive, the ID.5 is similar to the ID Crozz concept that Volkswagen released in 2109. It is essentially the ID.4 with a more coupe-like roof line. It has the same 77 kWh battery, the same 150 kW electric motor driving the rear wheels, and may be available at some point in a dual motor version that adds a 75 kW motor for the front wheels. Dimensionally, the cars are identical, save for a centimeter or two difference in length and width. The ID.5 is simply a styling exercise designed to tap into the international craze to make sedans and SUVs that look like coupes.
Electrive claims the ID.5, which is now in pre-production at the Volkswagen factory in Zwickau, will be available for sale later this year, but will not be available in all markets. Whether it will be sold in America has not yet been revealed. Pricing, equipment packages, and other particulars will be available closer to the introduction date. Think November, the company says.
As for what the production car may look like, we have no idea. Volkswagen has not released any final production photos of the ID.5 as of yet. But if it looks like the Crozz concept pictured above, it will be a tasty little crumpet and should garner lots of attention from buyers who want an electric car that doesn’t go out of its way to look like an electric car. Please bring them to America, Volkswagen.
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