Volkwagen Will Roll Out the First ID Hatch Prototypes in April

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Mar 20, 2018

Testing and development of these cars continue until the production models are launched in late 2019

Volkswagen’s ID revolution is about to begin when the first wave of ID hatchbacks roll off factory lines next month. Ok, so the cars being built aren’t exactly production models. They’re pre-production prototypes that will set the stage for VW engineers to begin the testing stage of the cars’ capabilities ahead of their eventual launch late next year.

Considering how much Volkswagen has invested in electrification and the propagation of its new ID line of electric vehicles, the arrival of these pre-production prototype models is a huge step for the German automaker in kick-starting its drive towards becoming one of the world’s biggest electric car manufacturers. The moment was not lost in the eyes of company boss Herbert Diess, who said that these prototypes will be used in an “intensive start-up phase" that will begin in September.

It’s no surprise that Volkswagen is laying out a long-term timetable for the development of the ID hatchback, especially when you consider that this model will be the first mainstream electric vehicle the company is developing for production. If anything, it’s important for Volkswagen to get the testing and development stages of this model right. There’s no going around it because once Volkswagen decided to go all-in on the electric market, it’s going to need to start on the right foot. Having a 17-month window to get that right is important for VW to make sure that when the cars are ready for production in November 2019, they’re going to be ready to roll with no hiccups whatsoever.

Say what you will about Volkswagen’s ambitions, but this is precisely the right move to make. There’s no reason to rush the development of such an important car. The German automaker needs to take its time to ensure that it leaves no stones unturned in developing the all-electric ID hatchback. It’s no secret that Volkswagen has a lot on the line here.

As far as the ID hatchback is concerned, we already saw what it could potentially look like when Volkswagen unveiled it in concept form at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. It’s still unclear what the production version is going to look like, but earlier reports hinted that stylistically, the production model won’t deviate too much away from the concept version.

In terms of power, the ID hatchback is expected to use an electric motor that produces around 160 horsepower. More importantly, the hatchback’s range has been benchmarked at 250 miles with the possibility of going all the way up to 373 miles. Even if VW only achieves 250 miles on a single charge, it would still be a massive improvement over the 186-mile range of the current Volkswagen e-Golf. On the performance side, it is said that the ID hatch will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than eight seconds before clocking in at a top speed of just 100 mph.

Once the car is out on the road, it would effectively usher in a new era for the German auto giant, which has admitted plans to sell one million all-electric cars per year by 2025. Well, if history remembers the ID line nicely, it could point back to April 2018 as the date when Volkswagen’s ID revolution officially kicked into gear.