Volkswagen I.D. Hatch to keep concept car looks

Volkswagen has announced the design of the production version of the I.D. hatch due next year will stay true to the original 2016 Paris motor show concept.

Confirmed to go on sale in Europe in November 2019, the all-new I.D. hatchback will be the first purpose-built pure-electric offering from the Volkswagen Group.

Speaking to Brit mag,

"The proportions, the design cues and the wheel size are the same as the concept. It looks like the show car. We couldn't do the camera-system rear-view mirrors for legal reasons, nor the electric door handles due to cost. But other than that, it's pretty much the same."

With pre-production prototypes already rolling off the production lines, engineers are said to well under way with the I.D.'s 16-month development.

Claimed to be priced to be "comparable to a diesel model", it's thought Australian sales will begin in early 2020.

Based on the Volkswagen Group's dedicated EV platform dubbed MEB, Volkswagen will offer the I.D. with a range of around 400-600km.

The rear-engine, rear-wheel drive concept comes powered with a 125kW electric motor.

That should be enough for a 0-100km/h time of just less than 8.0 seconds, although top speed will be limited to 100mph.

The same platform and powertrain will also be used in production variants of the Budd-e, I.D. Crozz, I.D. Buzz Microbus and a forthcoming I.D. sedan.

All five will help Volkswagen sell a million pure-electric vehicles a year by 2025, the German car maker says.

At the Paris show the I.D. hatch won plaudits for its sporty proportions, pioneering cabin and complete absence of a B-pillar.

Thanks to a wheelbase around 130mm longer then a Golf, the I.D. offers VW Passat-levels of space for passengers inside.

Featuring unusual LED headlamps that mimic a human eye, when at rest the headlamps appear to show a closed 'eyelid'. On the move the LEDs are also claimed to reflect the driving mode you're in.

Said to be capable of being charged up to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, it's rumoured the I.D. hatch could come with the same 800-volt charger that's being developed for the Porsche Mission E.