Shanghai show: Volkswagen charges up ID Roomzz

VOLKSWAGEN has revealed an all-electric large SUV concept, dubbed the ID Roomzz, on the eve of the Shanghai motor show this week, previewing an all-new seven-seat model that will bolster the German brand’s burgeoning family of forthcoming ID EVs when it enters production in 2021.

The initial focus will be on sales in China, however Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) has confirmed that it would look to build a business case for the new SUV if it was available for export to right-hand-drive markets.

Speaking to GoAuto, VGA public relations and brand experience manager Kurt McGuiness said: “At this stage it’s just for China, but given the huge market desire for SUVs, we’d certainly consider it if it was offered.”

VGA launched its first-ever seven-seat large SUV last August with the segment-straddling Tiguan Allspace, which is a stretched version of the mid-size Tiguan and has proven to be an important addition with 2454 sales to the end of last year, and another 1265 units to the end of March.

The ID Roomzz is 214mm longer (4915mm), 51mm wider (1890mm) and 95mm taller (1760mm) than the Tiguan Allspace, and would sit alongside the third-generation Touareg five-seater – due to launch here next month – which is slightly shorter than the concept in length (4878mm) and height (1717mm) but is noticeably wider (1984mm).

As GoAuto has reported, VGA is preparing to soon announce details about the Australian rollout of the German auto giant’s ID family of EVs, which is expected to start with the ID small hatch in 2021 – about a year after the ground-breaking model launches in Europe.

Making fast tracks as it restructures its business in the wake of the diesel emissions cheating crisis, and as the automotive industry moves rapidly towards EVs, Volkswagen Group announced last month that it will introduce nearly 70 EVs across its stable of brands by 2028.

The car-maker plans to have electrified vehicles account for 40 per cent of its global sales volume and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent in the next 10 years.

Set to rival the likes of the Tesla Model X, the ID Roomzz follows in the tyre tracks of the other ID models by riding on Volkswagen Group’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform.

It features one electric motor per axle for all-wheel-drive traction and a combined power output of 225kW, and can sprint from standstill to 100km/h in an impressive 6.6 seconds while on the way to its electronically limited top speed of 180km/h.

An underfloor 82kWh battery pack provides 450km of driving range on Europe’s recently introduced WLTP cycle, while a 150kW DC fast charger can top it up from zero to 80 per cent in about 30 minutes.

Significantly, the ID Roomzz is also a Level 4 autonomous vehicle, capable of driving itself in traffic when one of its ID Pilot modes are engaged.

As a result, its cabin can respond to the selected driving mode by changing the seating configuration when the steering wheel and pedals are not required.

For example, when regular ID Pilot is in use, the front seats rotate inward by 25 degrees “to enable a more communicative, lounge-like atmosphere onboard”, according to Volkswagen.

Alternatively, ID Pilot Relax allows passengers to individually adjust their seat, such as from an upright to a reclined position.

When the driver is taking charge in the ID Drive mode, the digitalised steering wheel is complemented by a second large glass touchscreen to form a digital cockpit that VW says “appears to hover in front of the driver” due to the two elements being conceptually integrated.

In another first, ID Pilot and ID Pilot Relax use specially processed wooden veneers in the door panels to provide occupants with information via interactive light zones, known as ID Light.

The ID Roomzz’s cabin also debuts a new type of leather-like upholstery, dubbed AppleSkin, which is made of a renewable raw material.

Given its focus on smog-filled China, the ID Roomzz features a CleanAir air-conditioning system that uses an active filter to ensure that the air in the cabin is clean even if the ambient air is not.

Styling-wise, the ID Roomzz naturally shares the ID family’s design language with clean lines, wide haunches, chunky wheels and slim LED lighting signatures, although it improves ingress and egress with sliding front and rear doors.

“This SUV is a monolith, appearing to be seamlessly machined from one solid block,” said Volkswagen design executive director Klaus Bischoff.

“The battery-powered ID Roomzz moves effortlessly – silently and without emissions.”

The ID Roomzz joins the ID hatch (Paris 2016), ID Buzz van (Detroit 2017), ID Crozz SUV (Shanghai 2017), ID Vizzion sedan (Geneva 2018) and ID Buggy dune buggy (Geneva 2019) as EV concepts revealed by the company at motor shows over the past few years.