Volkswagen unveils ID.LIFE concept

VOLKSWAGEN took the covers off its ID.LIFE concept car at the recent IAA Motor Show in Munich, previewing a small, affordable and all-electric SUV that the German giant says will be priced from €20,000 ($A32,000) in production form.

It is expected the new model will be known as the ID.2 when it reaches showrooms, slotting in beneath the Golf-sized ID.3 electric hatch and mid-size ID.4 electric SUV.

The ID.LIFE – which its maker says focuses on people and communal experiences – rides on a smaller iteration of the brand’s electric-only MEB platform and is powered by a single 172kW electric motor driving the front wheels.

“The ID. LIFE is our vision of next-generation, fully electric urban mobility,’ said Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstatter.

“The concept car provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025, priced at around 20,000 Euros.”

Range is quoted as 400km on the WTLP cycle and VW says the ID.LIFE can accelerate to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds, with energy drawn from a 57kWh battery module stowed beneath the passenger compartment floor.

Inside, the “pared down but high quality” ID. LIFE includes flexible seating, a smartphone-controlled navigation and infotainment system and integrated projection screen with gaming console plus touchpad controls on the steering wheel.

“This means we are making electric mobility accessible to even more people. In creating the ID.LIFE, we have consistently focused on the needs of younger customers. We believe that, even more so than today, the car of the future will be about lifestyle and personal expression,” said Mr Brandstatter.

“The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer. The ID.LIFE is our answer to this”.

Also included in the concept are several renewable and carbon-neutral materials used for its construction, including woodchips in the paint, tyres manufactured from bio-oil, rubber, and rice husks, and numerous recycled plastics – mostly from drinking bottles – though many of these will not feature in the production version.

“The ID.LIFE proves once again how uniquely flexible the MEB (platform) is. The platform is suitable for vehicles of all types, from small cars to vans. It’s the most scalable electrical architecture in the industry,” said Volkswagen brand board member for development Thomas Ulbrich.

“We’re just beginning to tap into the potential of MEB. Performance, charging capacity, and range will continue to improve with each new model and software update.”

Volkswagen says that by 2030, it aims to increase the share of all-electric models in total vehicle sales in Europe to at least 70 per cent, and in North America and China to at least 50 per cent.