Volkswagen has released teaser images of a new concept which it’s due to be unveiled at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and which is expected to preview VW’s first all-electric car.
Very little is known about the concept at this stage, but Volkswagen says that it’s a one-of-a-kind concept and claims it’ll be “as revolutionary as the Beetle was” seven decades ago.
Big talk, then, but it’s an important move for the German manufacturer, which has hastily shifted its focus to electrification in the wake of last year’s Dieselgate scandal.
300-mile range, plus in-car internet
The production version of the concept is scheduled to be released in 2019, and VW says it’ll be able to travel up to 300 miles on a single charge, with charging taking just 15 minutes.
It’s expected to be roughly the same size as the Golf hatchback, but Volkswagen’s engineers claim that it’ll have similar interior space as the larger Passat thanks to clever packaging.
Other things of note will include an in-car internet connection and a unique ‘Volkswagen ID’ which is specific to each driver, and which can transfer preferences and settings between different VW cars.
First of five fully-electric VWs
Currently, Volkswagen is planning a full range of five all-electric vehicles, and after the electric hatchback will follow a crossover, a saloon and potentially even an electric sports car.
Each is expected to be built on the manufacturer’s new modular electrification kit (MEB) platform, and Volkswagen is hoping to sell more than a million fully electric cars by 2025.
