VW's Unseen EV Concepts Just Got Trademarked
VW has huge plans for electric cars, and the names of two more of its I.D. concept EVs may have just spilled ahead of the vehicles' big reveal. The German automaker has promised a total of fifteen different electrified models, globally, by 2025, with the first set to go on sale in the US in 2020. However, that hasn't stopped Volkswagen from previewing each in the form of a concept car.
That process started with the VW I.D. Concept, back in late 2016. That was a roughly Golf-sized hatchback which the automaker suggested could be the future of the popular car, and launch as soon as 2020. It was followed by the I.D. BUZZ, an electrified update of the "Microbuzz" that, following hugely positive feedback, also got the green-light for production.
It won't happen until around 2022, however, leaving the way clear for the production version of the most recent concept, the VW I.D. CROZZ, to begin the automaker's electric push in the US. It's a good strategy, too: the I.D. CROZZ is an all-electric crossover, a segment which continues to out-perform most others in North America. Now, though, we have a vague idea of what might be coming next down Volkswagen's electric pipeline.
Filings at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have revealed their likely names, AutoGuide spotted. VW has requested the trademarks for both I.D. CRUISER and I.D. FREELER; however, the company's descriptions of what those names could refer to are broad to the point of useless. Nonetheless, given the "I.D." prefix is now firmly associated with VW's EV strategy, it's hard not to draw some connections. An application for the I.D. STREETMATE trademark was granted earlier this year.
As to what the I.D. CRUISER and I.D. FREELER might actually look like, that's speculation too. However, VW has previously suggested that it was working on an electric SUV – presumably larger than the CROZZ crossover – and an electric sedan. Those have been referred to as the "Lounge" and "AEROe," respectively, in earlier leaks.
The goal of the whole line-up, of course, is to illustrate the flexibility and potential of Volkswagen's underlying electrified architecture. While the exterior of each I.D. concept might be very different, under the skin is the VW MEB platform. That's the automaker's latest system for all-electric vehicles, a flexible strategy that allows for either 2WD or AWD along with what VW says will be around 375 miles of range.
Such an approach allows VW's engineers to design the best possible powertrain fit for the vehicle's intended purpose and price. For example, a smaller city car like the original I.D. could be front-wheel drive, with relatively low-powered motors and offer a lower range, in the name of targeting a more affordable sticker in dealerships. In contrast, the I.D. BUZZ could be all-wheel drive and with the maximum possible power and range, so as to more capably transport a Microbus full of people and their cargo.