Yahoo Autos Here's When We'll See the First EV Station Wagon
ID Space Vizzion production version due in 2023
2019 concept based on MEB platform offered roughly a 300-mile range
Four-door sedan version also headed into production in 2023
If you've been longing for the days when you could get a midsize station wagon at a Volkswagen dealership — missing from the lineup for some time as crossovers have taken over — a wagon is on its way back. And it's electric. Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of Volkswagen passenger cars brand, confirmed days ago that ID Space Vizzion concept is headed into production, but that it's delayed until 2023. Initially, VW indicated it planned to put it into production in 2021 and offer it in different versions for Europe, North America and China.
Revealed a year ago at the LA auto show, the ID Space Vizzion concept previewed a generously-sized wagon with a 300-mile range and a vegan interior called AppleSkin, produced from material left over from apple juice production. The concept's interior is a minimalist but elegant design with a large 15.6-inch touchscreen at the center of the dash, but oriented horizontally, in contrast to one other famous EV maker. The bright and airy cabin also showcased Volkswagen's latest interior design trends. We hope the cockpit makes it into production in this form.
Like other EVs in its pipeline, the ID Space Vizzion concept used the MEB platform, showcasing this architecture's flexibility, featuring an 82-kWh battery. At the LA auto show the concept was already said to be headed into production, with plans to show a production-ready version in 2021.
"Thanks to the compact dimensions of the electric drive and a battery integrated in the floor, the interior space provided is more reminiscent of a long wheelbase premium sedan than a mid-range model," the automaker noted at the time. "It is not only the electric drive that makes the ID. Space Vizzion a sustainable vehicle, but also the materials used in the interior."
Now that the ID Space Vizzion concept is headed into production, it remains to be seen whether any other automaker challenges it with its own wagon. EV makers that have fielded models thus far have steered away from station wagons, focusing (understandably) on sedans and SUVs. The closest thing we've seen to an actual wagon has been the Chevy Bolt, while Tesla avoided the segment in styling the Model Y as a sedan with a taller roof but not really a longer rear cargo section.
Of course it would be odd to get a station wagon version of something without getting the sedan. There's a sedan on the way as well, as just a few days prior Volkswagen announced an electric four-door badged as the Volkswagen Aero1 would be produced in Emden, Germany, also starting in 2023.
The Wolfsburg-based automaker did not confirm in detail what segment its sedan would land in, but the smart money is on it's being a midsize sedan positioned above the Tesla Model 3, offering slightly more generous interior accommodations. The ID Vizzion sedan concept from Geneva in 2018 previewed the production car.
One curious bit about the sedan announcement was that the car would be called Volkswagen Aero1, and not ID followed by some number. So it's possible that VW will continue to offer EVs for several markets under its own brand, while offering ID-badged models in other markets. Of course, this doesn't foreclose the possibility we could get the Aero1 as an ID model because Volkswagen will still need to sell a midsize electric sedan here at some point. The VW-badged model, meanwhile, could be offered in China and other regions where the ID brand might not be launched for various marketing reasons.
