The Volkswagen ID.Code concept was just unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show, offering a glimpse into the future of VW’s SUV design language.
However, take the above statement with a grain of salt, as VW emphasizes several times in its announcement that this is a concept car for the Chinese market. Although it was designed as a collaboration between VW’s European and Chinese teams, there’s no sign that an SUV that looks like this will land in markets outside of China. All in all, the ID.Code is an intriguing concept that represents a major departure from VW’s current SUV and electric ID. Brand styling.
The idea was to create a design that looked both “fast and futuristic” and that the final product would match. It features an elegant and sporty greenhouse design and its D-pillar is intended to be reminiscent of the C-pillar look of the original Golf. The ID.Code’s face is intended to appear friendly and inviting, almost as if it is smiling at the world around it. The “smart” lighting system up front is designed to interact with the world around it via its interactive “3D eyes.” When the driver approaches the vehicle, the ID.Code plays a welcoming tone and provides information about the weather in the area for the next few hours. While driving, especially in autonomous mode, both the front and rear light bars are designed to communicate with other road users to increase safety.
Its windows are “Smart Windows” and are actually semi-transparent displays. As you approach the car, an avatar will appear outside, greeting you with information and a greeting. For example, if it’s about to rain, your avatar will remind you to grab an umbrella before getting in the car. The same avatar is used in the car as a kind of projection that pops out of the center console and allows you to interact and talk to it.
We should mention that the ID.Code is predictably all-electric, but powertrain information is not available. A lithium-ion battery provides the energy supply, and a photovoltaic system is also integrated into the transparent “energy roof”. Additionally, the most detailed driving information VW has provided is that it is designed as a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, allowing the driver to turn completely off the road and act as a passenger. In this case, the steering wheel retracts into the dashboard, allowing for more interior space and 180-degree swivel seats that fold flat for sleeping if you want to take a nap. According to VW, all materials used in the ID.Code are cruelty-free and environmentally friendly. It has a completely new infotainment interface and even the window surfaces become digital interaction points in the car.
As for what the ID.Code means for production VWs, the company says it’s previewing the design of a new design language in China that we’ll likely see in a new range of “ID.UX” cars. The ID.UX cars will be a sub-brand of VW aimed at the Chinese market, and this ID.Code could look exactly like what a large electric SUV would look like as part of that sub-brand. The first VW in the ID.UX series is scheduled to come onto the market in 2024, and a total of five models are expected to be presented by 2027.