A really stressful dreamjob

With Volkswagen at the Geneva International Motor Show the focus will be on one vehicle in particular: the I.D. VIZZION, the brand's latest concept study. The forward-looking show car is the fourth and youngest member of the electrically powered I.D. model range with a consistent focus on autonomous driving.

At Volkswagen's stand in Hall 2, the elegant luxury saloon, is based on the new, fully electric MEB drive platform. The car will likely be met with a frenzy of flashing cameras as well as expressions of amazement on the faces of journalists and car fans from all over the world. That's because its innovative interior and operating concept is void of a steering wheel and any other visible operating elements. And the wide-opening butterfly doors are sure to give flight to the imagination of all those who behold them.

‘Excitement and relief'

It's a special moment each and every time for Dzemal Sjenar, Volkswagen head of concept cars, and Christian Endter, I.D. VIZZION project manager in concept vehicle development. ‘It's a mixture of excitement and relief,' explains Dzemal Sjenar. ‘It's only once the vehicle has been unveiled and driven onto the stage for the first time that our job is finished,' says the Bosnian, who has set the wheels in motion for countless studies during his approximately 30 years with Volkswagen.

A long road from concept to show car

But the road to the final destination is long: ‘ideally' it takes one year from the initial concept to the finished show car. During these twelve months skilled experts deliver a lot of manual labour. During this process, the different areas of Technical Development work closely together: Concept Development, Design and Prototype building, just to name a few, to finish the car right on time.

The requirements are demanding and time is slipping away – faster than for any production model due to the shorter development cycles. As a result, the core team of around 30, which grows to 100 employees at peak times, needs to be extremely flexible. That's not a problem for passionate automotive visionaries such as Dzemal Sjenar. ‘If you can't handle the stress, you can't do the job,' he says with a shrug, laughing.

Not possible, unfortunately! The spontaneous purchase at the trade fair stand is one of the few wishes that Endter, Sjenar and the others are unable to fulfil for car fans. Apart from that, there's almost no end to their creativity. ‘Technologically speaking, Volkswagen enjoys exploring new terrain with its show cars, particularly when it comes to obtaining feedback on certain technical features or solutions,' explains project manager Christian Endter.

‘We focus on the visionary things,' says Christian Endter, explaining his team's responsibilities. For everything else, they benefit from the company's exceptional development and manufacturing expertise in classic vehicle construction. ‘A classic example is the brakes,' he says. ‘We tend to make use of the components found in existing modules. No need to develop new ones.'

Nonetheless, when it comes to all the automotive visions they pursue together, Endter and his colleagues still always build cars, not castles in the air. And no one knows that better than they do: ‘We assess and monitor technical feasibility already during the design stage,' he emphasises.

I.D. VIZZION is equipped for a distant future

And the I.D. VIZZION is no different, with its innovative operating concept which ‘is equipped for two or three generations into the future'. The ‘digital chauffeur' is in charge of controlling the vehicle with a whole host of assistance systems. At the same time, a ‘virtual host' anticipates just about every wish the passengers have via voice and gesture control.