NEW AND FUTURE CARS
2019
VOLKSWAGEN
GLI
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$26,890Volkswagen is preparing its full-blown
electrified assault on the U.S. market.
So what’s the plan, you ask? Roll out no
fewer than 15 electric vehicles by 2025,
with its emerging ID range of vehicles
serving as the beachhead. The first
production ID EV, dubbed the ID.3, won’t
be sold on our shores but has already
made its debut in Europe. Instead, a
production vehicle inspired by the ID
Crozz will lead the U.S. charge in 2020.
The Crozz concept’s goofy name
indicates that it previews a future
crossover. It touts an 83-kW-hr battery
pack with 302 hp. VW claims more than
300 miles of range for the high-rider,
which will be accompanied by a similarly
equipped electric sedan at its debut.head of Volkswagen Design, assembly
of the off-road EV is being contracted
to a German electric startup called
e.Go Mobile. The concept is powered
by a rear-mounted electric motor
producing 201 hp and 228 lb-ft of
torque and can travel 155 miles with
its 62-kW-hr battery pack.
VW rolled out the suicide-door-
equipped ID Vizzion sportback
concept at the 2018 Geneva show.
Its electric AWD system promises a
combined 302 hp and an estimated
driving range of 413 miles, a result of
its 111-kW-hr battery. The most luxury-
oriented concept of the lot, the Vizzion
was billed with Level 5 autonomous
systems, and it doesn’t even have a
steering wheel. The driver controls it
with voice and gesture controls.
Fossil fuel fans need not be
distraught, however. VW reaffirmed its
commitment not only to gas-powered
cars but also to the sport sedan with
the 2019 Jetta GLI. VW dropped the
GTI’s powertrain, a 2.0-liter turbo-
four that produces 228 hp and 258
lb-ft and is mated to either a manual
or dual-clutch transmission, into the
seventh-gen Jetta. The fleet-footed GLI
also comes with a fully independent
suspension, which can be upgraded to
have adaptive chassis control in the
35th Anniversary Edition trim level.
Chicken tax be damned, VW has
also continued to test the viability of
a pickup for the U.S. with the Tarok
concept. The smaller VW pickup
concept followed on the heels of the
V-6-powered Atlas Tanoak concept,which made its debut to immense fanfare
in 2018. The Tarok features a 1.4-liter
turbocharged engine, a six-speed automatic
transmission, and 4Motion all-wheel drive.
The Tarok’s coolest feature is a trick bed
that extends into the cabin. It also features
roof racks and a removable Bluetooth radio
that docks in the center column. The Tarok
is underpinned by the MQB platform,
shared by the Arteon, Atlas, Jetta, Polo, and
Tiguan, so we have a pretty good idea that
it would handle similarly to a tall Golf if
VW decides to build it. AMThe nostalgic pick of the ID lineup will
be a version of the Buzz concept, which we
drove all the way back in 2017; a production
model has been confirmed for 2022. The
top-spec version will be capable of a five-
second 0-60 time thanks to combination of
a 150-kW rear and 125-kW front motor. VW
estimates a time of 20 minutes to attain an
80 percent charge of its 111-kW-hr battery.
Another fun, VW-style creation is the
cute ID Buggy, which is expected to reach
production thanks to the flexibility of VW’s
MEB platform. According to Klaus Bischoff,
ID CrozzTarokID Buzz