For those in the market for a practical zero-emissions wagon, the Volkswagen ID. Space Vizzion could be just the ticket.
Revealed at the Los Angeles motor show overnight, the seventh member of Volkswagen's rapidly growing ID. family is heavily-related to the ID. Vizzion sedan revealed back in 2018.
Rumoured to be already green-lit for production, the ID. Space Vizzion could be on sale as soon as 2021 in North America, China, Europe and potentially Australia – despite the German car-maker ruling out the closely-related ID. Vizzion sedan for markets outside of China.
Based on Volkswagen's dedicated MEB platform, the ID. Space Vizzion comes equipped with an 82kWh lithium-ion battery pack and twin electric motors that produce 250kW and 700Nm of torque.
That's enough, Volkswagen claims, to launch the battery-powered wagon to 100km/h in less than five seconds, although top speed is limited to 175km/h.
Driving range, meanwhile, is said to be a generous 590km between charges.
Speaking of which, using a 100kW charger an 80 per cent charge from flat is claimed to take just 30 minutes.Measuring in at 4958mm long, 1897mm wide and standing 1529mm, the ID. Vizzion is both longer and taller, but narrower, than Volkswagen's current Passat wagon, but gets far better aerodynamics to boost its range.
With a claimed drag coefficient of just 0.24Cd, engineers claim the slippery mid-size wagon cuts through air more efficiently than the latest Porsche Taycan.
To that end the concept sports low-drag 22-inch alloy rims, a functional rear diffuser and tailgate spoiler, and what VW describes as 'digital' door-handles.
Inside, the futuristic feel continues with a huge 15.6-inch floating infotainment screen and an augmented reality head-up instrument panel.
Even the seat material is pure sci-fi, with VW claiming it's made from a new advanced plant-based cloth derived from a by-product of apple juice production.
Thanks batteries mounted low in the platform, the Space Vizzion comes with a decent 586-litre boot and lots of interior space.
In the rear, Volkswagen has also packaged a pair of electric longboards below the boot floor that can be charged on the move and provide yet more zero-emission transport in an urban environment once you've parked the car on the outskirts of a city or town.