GENEVA: Volkswagen has announced that it will be launching its newly-developed I.D. Family range of electric vehicles in 2020 and it’s being touted to have long driving ranges along with a visionary design.
Three I.D. models have already been presented as concept cars including the compact I.D., I.D. CROZZ sport utility vehicle (SUV) – both will be debuting as production models in 2020, and the I.D. BUZZ microbus that due in 2022.
Next, the German automaker will present the I.D. VIZZION sedan, an autonomous concept car that can be operated by voice and gesture control, while being capable of learning thanks to artificial intelligence.
In a vision of what may be possible by the year 2030, the I.D. VIZZION’s ‘digital chauffeur’ assumes control of the vehicle—without a steering wheel or visible controls.
A virtual ‘host’ knows the personal preferences of the vehicle guests and it adapts to each of them individually.
Although the I.D. VIZZION will first be available with conventional controls, interaction with the I.D. VIZZION is possible via augmented reality and newly designed mixed reality eyewear—the HOLOLENS that’s developed by Microsoft and is expected to come into production in 2022,
The company says that the proportions of I.D. VIZZION differentiates itself from other premium-class production vehicles in that it has an extremely long combinaltion of wheelbase (122.0 inches) and roof, while the front and rear overhangs are kept short to create more cabin space.
At 5,1464mm-long, 1,948mm-wide and 1,506mm-tall, the I.D. VIZZION has a front fascia that’s extremely low in the middle and its fenders rise sharply to the sides.
Light also dominates the front-end design, with a white, illuminated VW badge, which develops into a white, animated light axis.
As soon as the I.D. VIZZION recognizes one of its passengers via electronic key or a facial scan, this light axis flows over the side of the body and the white-illuminated door handles and into the rear body.
The lighting concept is designed to be interactive where the active lighting elements in the front end adapt to the environment of the vehicle according to the driving situation.
The I.D. VIZZION uses HD Matrix lights, a first for the company, which operates with 8,000 light pixels with the potential to project symbols and displays at the front of the car in the future and could include virtual ‘zebra stripes’ to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely.
In profile, the I.D. VIZZION is simple, yet elegant. The coupe-like roofline of the concept car extends past the wheelarches in the rear, creating the silhouette of a GT.
The side sections are eye-catching with their seamlessly designed surfaces. Even the windows are completely flush with the body panels, making the greenhouse visually merge more with the shoulder and side sections of the body.
Suicide doors dominate the space between the aerodynamically designed 24-inch wheels and can open electrically in opposite directions at up to a 0-degree angle. This, and the lack of B-pillars, enables exceptionally easy entry and exit.
Instead of a conventional boot lid, an electrically actuated rear hatch swings upward, giving access to a 566-litre boot.
The white light axis is present at the rear too with the low-profile strip of LEDs wrapped onto the sides of the car and the rear fenders, and immediately above, a red LED strip provides tail and brake light functions.
The rear window doubles as a gigantic OLED display, allowing it to become a third brake light and as braking intensifies, the brake light enlarges interactively from bottom to top.
The drive system components of the MEB architecture consists of two motors, two transmissions, the electronics that link everything together and the high-voltage battery.
The 111kWh lithium-ion battery is housed in the vehicle’s floor to help create more interior space, lower the centre of gravity and ensure an ideal weight distribution.
The same applies to the two electric motors on the front and rear axles. The motor in front is a 101hp coaxial drive, and a compact 201hp motor is used for the rear. Total system power output is rated at 302hp.
The concept has an anticipated range of up to 665km on the European cycle and its battery can be charged via induction or direct plug-in via a Combined Charging System (CCS), charging stations or conventional electrical sockets.
Inside, the concept has an interior that’s void of a driver’s seat and cockpit due to its autonomous driving capability.
Therefore, the space was designed to provide a lounge-like atmosphere with four ergonomically balanced seats to form the centre as footrests invite guests to kcik-up their feel and relax, while a bright atmosphere created with large side windows and a continuous panoramic sunroof that runs from front to rear surrounds them.
To ensure that the transparency of the space is not too great, the glass surfaces can be darkened electronically. At maximum darkening, the privacy glass is nearly opaque.
The car has no dash panel, as the concept vehicle is primarily operated by gesture and voice control.
In addition, all guests aboard the concept can use a HOLOLENS which projects a virtual interface into the real space by augmented reality.
However, there are still two rotary / push-button controls on the concept’s centre console (one front, one rear) to enable for manual control of certain functions that can range from adjusting the entertainment volume of to bringing it to a full stop.
The virtual host recognizes its occupants by biometric facial recognition or electronic device, such as a smartphone, and is able to call up settings from the cloud via the Volkswagen ID, automatically adjusting the settings for individual occupants.
The profile for the Volkswagen ID can control parameters such as seating, lighting, climate control, infotainment (including streaming services) and scents.
In addition, the virtual assistant reacts predictively to a wide variety of events and relevant points of interest. For example, if the car is approaching a traffic jam that cannot be avoided, the interactive assistant automatically communicates the new arrival time for the given destination.
If there is a cafe along the route, which one of the guests would like to make use of, the assistant asks whether it should drive to the cafe or perhaps order a coffee to go and pay for it.
The car can also be interconnected with all conceivable digital devices, including fitness trackers.
Via these and/or the HOLOLENS, the concept tracks the vital parameters of its passengers and can notice that someone is too hot thereby adjusting the temperature down for the area of that passenger via indirect ventilation of the four-zone automatic air conditioner.
Three different travel modes can be activated on-board via the personal assistant: Relax, Active, and Family.
In the Active mode, the passenger can remain seated as usual, work, communicate, play and call up information on the drive, but as soon as a guest activates Relax mode, a footrest extends out, relaxing music is played, and the ambient lighting switches to a warm color.
In addition, various scenarios can be called up via the HOLOLENS, which includes the digital Business, Navigation, Entertain, Communication, and—especially for any children on-board—Learning modes.
The projections that are customized for each mode are shown in the user’s visual field as augmented reality via the HOLOLENS.
The Business mode, for example, makes it possible to participate in meetings by video chat or easily process e-mails and presentations. In Learning mode, children can call up games and learning apps.
Keyword: Volkswagen I.D. VIZZION headed for Geneva showing in autonomous electric mode