Volkswagen to invest EUR6 billion in electric mobility over next five years

German automaker Volkswagen announced yesterday that it is accelerating its development of electric cars by investing EUR6 billion (USD7.19 billion) in electric mobility over the next five years, with 2020 as the turning point. Volkswagen’s largest market is China, which over the weekend announced its plan to ban both petrol and diesel cars in the future.

Despite the dieselgate scandal, Volkswagen managed to edge out Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. last year as the world’s largest automaker.

“The Volkswagen brand will be investing EUR6 billion in electric mobility over the next five years. Our task is to make modern technology available to many people. This is especially important in times of technological transformation,” said Herbert Diess, chairman of the Volkswagen brand board of management.

Volkswagen is presenting the new I.D. CROZZ in a world premiere at the International Motor Show (IAA) which opens in Frankfurt, Germany, today. The electric concept vehicle is part of the electric campaign in which Volkswagen will be expanding its electric car model range – initially with three models from 2020. In 2025, the Volkswagen brand will be offering 23 all-electric models.

The new I.D. CROZZ is a crossover of an SUV and a four-door coupé, which has been further improved towards a production implementation. The I.D. CROZZ is a sporty, zero-emission all-round vehicle that is designed to be interactive, and whose electric 4MOTION all-wheel drive system is as impressive on unpaved trails as it is in adverse weather conditions. One electric motor works at the front axle and one at the rear, and torque distribution is controlled via an ‘electric propshaft’. The driving range of the SUV that outputs 225 kW (system power) and boasts a top speed of 180 km/h is up to 500 kilometres (NEDC) on one battery charge. The high-performance battery can be charged to 80% of its energy capacity in 30 minutes using a fast-charging system.

Additionally, the updated I.D. CROZZ is equipped with a new voice assistant, which enables opening and closing of the doors via voice command. It is also possible to activate or deactivate the fully automated driving mode ‘I.D. Pilot’ by voice instruction.

The future generation of the I.D. family will extend the Volkswagen model range. In 2020, Volkswagen will already launch the compact, all-electric, four-door I.D. in the Golf segment, while launching the modern I.D. CROZZ in the SUV segment. In addition, the I.D. BUZZ – a re-interpretation of the legendary Volkswagen Bulli – will enter the market in 2022. All three I.D. concept cars share the new ‘all-electric architecture’ that was developed as a common platform and a completely new and avant-garde design. Other characteristics are zero-emission driving ranges up to 600 kilometres, a large amount of space, compact exterior dimensions and digitalisation of all displays and controls. In addition, the new and innovative ‘vw.OS’ operating system, which enables fast software updates and upgrades, will support each member of the I.D. family – in a way similar to the usual updating methods for smartphones.