It’s shaping as much as be a busy IAA Mobility Present for Volkswagen subsequent week. In Munich, attendees will see the primary electrical GTI, albeit nonetheless camouflaged. A disguised Polo and not using a combustion engine may also be on show, joined by a good smaller electrical hatchback: the ID. Every1 idea. However certainly VW isn’t ignoring the SUV-hungry crowd. It isn’t. Meet the ID. Cross idea.
Primarily a crossover model of the upcoming electrical ID. Polo, the brand new idea previews subsequent 12 months’s manufacturing mannequin. It’s set to change into VW’s most inexpensive electrical SUV, until that ID. Every1 ultimately will get the high-riding remedy. The ID. Cross is almost as boxy because the T-Cross, Wolfsburg’s equally sized gasoline SUV.
Picture by: Volkswagen
Picture by: Volkswagen
VW says the design incorporates delicate nods to iconic nameplates. As an illustration, the marginally forward-leaning C-pillars are impressed by the Golf. The three horizontal louvers echo the Bus and have been later added to the ID. Buzz. “Floating” roofs stay in vogue in 2025, evidenced right here by the blacked-out pillars contrasting with the inexperienced “City Jungle” paint.
As with all fashionable idea automotive, outsized wheels are a should. The ID. Cross rides on 21-inch alloys regardless of measuring solely 163.8 inches (4161 millimeters) in size. VW says its entry-level electrical SUV is 72.4 inches (1839 millimeters) huge, about the identical because the gas-powered Taos regardless of being a lot shorter. At 62.5 inches (1588 millimeters) tall, it sits barely decrease to the bottom than the smallest crossover VW sells within the U.S.
Gentle bars and illuminated badges have gotten VW staples, and even the louvers seem backlit. It stays to be seen what number of of those options will survive into manufacturing. That mentioned, the idea feels nearer to a near-production prototype than a pure design examine. Common door handles, black plastic cladding, and conventional mirrors somewhat than dinky cameras counsel the ID. Cross just isn’t removed from its closing kind.
Picture by: Volkswagen
Picture by: Volkswagen
VW has promised to carry again bodily buttons, and it’s good to see that dedication honored right here. The upcoming hatchbacks we talked about earlier will all characteristic separate controls, similar to this crossover. Along with local weather buttons on the middle console, the steering wheel is full of keys. Maybe too many?
Unusually, textile-covered buttons are built-in into the seats, whereas the motive force’s door homes the acquainted window and mirror controls. The middle console seems to characteristic a rotary knob positioned earlier than a wi-fi charging pad massive sufficient for 2 smartphones. Under that, cupholders sit forward of actual eucalyptus leaves displayed behind semi-transparent panels.
The ID. Cross pairs an 11-inch digital instrument cluster with a 13-inch central touchscreen, and as you may see, VW is transferring away from seamlessly integrating shows into dashboards. However with ever-larger screens, that’s maybe inevitable. Elsewhere, the seats fold fully flat to create what VW describes as a “reclining space within the model of a Bus.”
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Supply: Volkswagen
Regardless of its small footprint, the devoted EV platform maximizes practicality. The cargo compartment holds practically 16 cubic toes (450 liters), with a further 1.3 cubic toes (38 liters) of storage below the rear bench. Up entrance, a tiny trunk provides practically one cubic foot (25 liters). No, I am not calling it a frunk.
Just like the upcoming electrical hatchbacks, the ID. Cross makes use of the MEB+ platform designed for front-wheel-drive automobiles. Sure, FWD. A single motor sends 208 horsepower to the entrance axle, enabling a high pace of 109 mph (175 km/h). An unspecified battery pack delivers as much as 261 miles (420 kilometers) of vary on the WLTP cycle.
The manufacturing ID. Cross will debut subsequent summer season below a brand new identify, presumably ID. Polo Cross. It would be part of the ID. Polo and ID. Polo GTI hatchbacks, that are additionally coming in 2026. Then, in 2027, the entry-level ID. Every1 will arrive, additionally sporting a well-known identify below VW’s new technique of reusing acquainted labels for EVs.
To attain economies of scale, a few of these fashions may also spawn Skoda and SEAT counterparts.
