Volkswagen has revealed a punchy off-road idea automotive known as the ID Xtreme, primarily based on the ID 4 GTX, to check public opinion for a extra adventurous line of ID automobiles.
Visually, the bull bars up entrance, chunky off-road tyres and a roof-mounted LED mild bar mark the ID Xtreme out as an off-roader in contrast with the road-biased ID 4 GTX on which it’s primarily based.
Below the pores and skin, the ID Xtreme’s energy has been boosted by 87bhp over the GTX to 382bhp, courtesy of an uprated rear motor and software program revisions. Mixed with the visible adjustments, that is more likely to scale back the ID Xtreme’s vary by a noticeable margin – though how important is just not identified, given the idea makes use of a second-hand battery pack.
It’s because the ID Xtreme repurposes an outdated ID 4 take a look at automotive (moderately than changing a brand-new instance) to minimise the carbon footprint. An aluminium undertray utterly seals the physique to guard these batteries, that are located under the cabin within the MEB platform.
A specifically developed noise maker has additionally been fitted into the wheel housings to offer the ID Xtreme some acoustic presence. How this works is unclear, however an analogous gadget was examined on Kiwi rally driver Hayden Paddon’s Hyundai Kona EV, producing a sound signature considerably paying homage to V10-era Components 1 automobiles.
This know-how might be utilized in future VW automobiles – or industry-wide – to take care of pedestrian security by preserving ‘engine’ sounds, albeit at extra sociable noise ranges than on Paddon’s rally automotive.
Silke Bagschik, head of the MEB product line, mentioned: “For a lot of of our prospects, automobiles are way more than only a technique of transport. With the ID Xtreme, we’re elevating electrical mobility from VW to a brand new efficiency degree.”