A vehicle concept for a new era. I.D. is Volkswagen's first compact concept car based on the new MEB vehicle architecture. MEB stands for "Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten" ("Modular Electric Drive Kit") – and it was conceived for pure electric drive. The ground-breaking MEB thus corresponds with the key mobility requirements of the future. This is why the newly defined vehicle architecture of the I.D. is considered to be a milestone in the car development by Volkswagen AG, while at the same time provide the basis for the development of many more all-electric cars. The concept behind the I.D. guarantees the best possible ride comfort, optimum use of space, maximum safety and ground-breaking sustainability, thus redefining the parameters of "drive", "space" and "comfort". This is underlined by:
- the long wheelbase with very short overhangs;
- a front end structure that, in addition to the highest level of safety, enables a high front wheel steering angle and thus a sensationally tight turning circle of just 9.9 m;
- the flat lithium-ion battery integrated in the floor, lowering the vehicle's centre of gravity and thus resulting in an ideal axle load/weight distribution;
- a multi-link rear axle with an integrated drive unit and decoupled subframe; this axle layout makes for optimum driving dynamics and ideal acoustics.
I.D. has the potential to make history. For Volkswagen, the world premiere of the iconic I.D. in Paris – with its iconic, fresh design – marks a watershed. This car is as revolutionary as the Beetle was seven decades ago and the first Golf was 40 years ago – which went on to become two of the world's most successful cars of all time. The I.D. has the potential to make history, too. It has been designed to be a compact all-rounder that will help to make electric cars the ‘everyday' choice, with its impressive electric range and an attractive price. A car in which the driver can activate the fully automated mode "I.D. Pilot" just by touching the Volkswagen logo on the steering wheel. With this, the electrically adjustable and retractable steering wheel disappears into the dashpad to form a single entity flush with the dashboard, boosting the lounge feeling in fully automated mode of the Open Space concept – the all new interior layout of the I.D., because the architecture of the drivetrain with an electric motor on the rear axle, and a high-voltage battery in the floor of the vehicle, liberates more space, more light, greater flexibility and more freedom than was ever possible in a car with a length of slightly over 4 metres. The I.D. is positioned as a compact electric car with which Volkswagen aims to expand its range of high-volume models in parallel to existing global best sellers such as the Polo, Golf, Tiguan and Passat.