Right now, Volkswagen’s electric womb is holding onto a full litter. While we’ve long assumed that only a limited selection of its offspring will be birthed into the world to take their place within its I.D. sub-brand, it’s beginning to look as though most will make the cut. Its sixth prospective offspring, the I.D. Roomzz, was teased earlier this month — coming across as your standard concept EV. However, the vehicle that’s being shown off at Auto Shanghai is much closer to being production-ready than we had guessed.
The crossover (minivan?) the automaker is displaying in Asia has two rows of bucket seats, providing space for just four, but Volkswagen is saying the production version will have three rows and could furnish up to eight occupants if bench seats are optioned for the second and third rows. Access is granted through a full set of sliding doors, which we doubt will make it into production. But it’s okay to dream.
Around the size of an Atlas, the Roomzz gets a 82.0-kWh battery pack which the manufacturer claims should provide a driving range close to 280 miles (European WLTP cycle). Dual electric motors provide 225 kilowatts (301 hp) of juice and all-wheel traction, contributing to the proposed 0-100kph (62 mph) time of 6.6 seconds. Not bad for a something that’s supposed to seat eight. But, like most single-gear electrics, the top speed is decidedly less impressive at 112 mph — though nobody sane expected this thing to be targeting any land speed records.
Volkswagen is promising fully autonomous operation, which encouraged the Roomzz reconfigurable “lounge-like atmosphere.” It’s open and allows occupants to swivel their “AppleSkin” (vegan leather) seats for better communication while the vehicle pilots itself down the road. However, that all sounds slightly ambitious for its proposed worldwide release in 2021.
We figure VW will deliver something a little more contemporary, nixing the front set of sliding doors (at least), that minimalist interior, VR-inspired navigation, and fully autonomous driving mode, come production time. There might even be a prototype in the works already, as this concept seems a little more fleshed out than we anticipated. The design is right in line with the rest of the I.D. vehicles and the proportions are fairly realistic. VW just needs to give the interior some more buttons and seats, slap on some side mirrors/door handles, get the necessary certifications and figure out an MSRP.
As a global vehicle, most are expecting the I.D. Roomzz to be assembled in China and somewhere that will ensure its availability within the United States. Chattanooga, TN (which is already responsible for the Atlas) seems like a likely candidate as VW has already earmarked it for North American EV production.
[Images: Volkswagen]
Cannot wait! But please, PLEASE, don’t mess with the doors! Just five conventional doors will do nicely…
The front doors will be conventional for side impact protection. Sliders for the second row would be great if they could make them look like conventional doors as they do here. But yeah, my money is on hinged doors all around.
The sliding doors are the only thing I like about this vehicle.
Yeah, but why it is called Roomz? There is no German or Chinese word for that? Or may be French since UK leaving EU and French will be the only common European language?
The German words for room are ‘Raum’ or ‘Zimmer’, which do not sound very youthful of emotional. Roomz, on the other hand, has a youthful slang to it, and perhaps the intent is to attract hipster-like young families with this vehicle.
No Roomz to haggle on the price, as usual, out of the range of the average Joe!
I have to agree – its a cool car, but the name I.D. ROOMZZ is completely stupid. I thought the Kia Soul ! (bang) was bad, but I.D. ROOMZZ is worse on an order of magnitudes…
Another fake-news (aka “concept”) EV, available in the gauzy, but not-too-distant future. Roomz? I call it Bullsh*t.
Whoever has been naming VW’s vehicles should be fired.
Tiguan?
Tuareg?
Roomz?
You forgot the extra Z, I believe it is ID Roomzz, which adds to VWs long list of poor vehicle name choices. I suppose Atlas is okay, but thats the only one with a ring to it.
Chinese industrial spies have already stolen the plans and are manufacturing and selling counterfeit Roomzz.
Volkswagen has accused them of selling fake IDs.