Volkswagen ID - General Discussion

[GranTurNismo]

VW is really behind the curve when it comes to packaging and space management when it comes to EVs. All that front overhang and no frunk? I also don't understand how the cargo capacity is smaller than a Model Y, despite being eight inches longer of a car. Isn't the purpose of having a wagon is for it to have near infinite cargo?

 

[Keef]

VW is one gigantic act of desperation masquerading as a corporation. They single-handedly ruined America’s perception of EV charging infrastructure via Electrify America and for that they should be fined tens of billions of dollars and put out of business. Lie, cheat, steal, cover it up.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Volkswagen will reportedly offer its upcoming ID2-based 2026 GTI EV in the United States, with a starting price in the $25,000 range. It will slot below the current Golf-based GTI and will roughly be the size of a Polo.

VW Wants to Sell its Electric GTI For $25,000 in the US

Volkswagen Group CEO of America believes an all-electric hot hatch could sell in America if it could cost under $25,000.

www.motor1.com

 

[GranTurNismo]

335hp dual-motor I.D. Buzz GTX trim unveiled, available on both the normal and LWB models, but will not be offered in the US (for no apparent reason).

335 HP VW ID.Buzz GTX Is A Hot Hatch-Chasing Hippie Hauler | Carscoops

First bi-motor, AWD Buzz gets to 62 mph in 6.5 seconds and offers almost double the tow rating of the single-motor van

www.carscoops.com

 

[Keef]

Well a good reason it’s it’s uglier and less nostalgic than the regular model. I see no purpose in a “sporty” minivan.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I saw an ID Buzz with a LIDAR sensor on its roof the other day. I wonder who owns it and what they're doing

 

[TheCracker]

Well a good reason it’s it’s uglier and less nostalgic than the regular model. I see no purpose in a “sporty” minivan.

Maybe its different stateside, but in Europe there's a whole cult around VW vans as part of the whole VDub scene. The older stuff is what they all want, but they're small and not ideal to daily (or weekendly) so the later T5s and T6s are where it's at. You'll most likely see them with oversized VW Group wheels and lowered. I see this Buzz GTX as a way of VW tapping into that 'modding-lite' scene.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

There's been some reports that some drivers may have accidentally brushed the capacitive touch button to enable cruise control, causing unintended acceleration which have led to accidents

Capacitive controls could be the cause of a spate of VW ID.4 crashes

Unlike buttons, capacitive controls require just the slightest touch to activate.

arstechnica.com

Some Volkswagen drivers say capacitive buttons are to blame for their car crashes.

The left side spoke operates the adaptive cruise control system, and mistakenly brushing against the "resume" button could re-engage cruise control to whatever speed it was last set, causing the car to accelerate when the driver didn't actually want that to happen. And that's exactly what a number of owners—one of whom reached out to us—suspect is to blame for a spate of crashes affecting the VW ID.4.

Many of the incidents occurred when drivers were parking, so most of the crashes happened at relatively low speeds, but three of the 13 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash reports that Ars reviewed involved injuries to the occupant(s). In at least one case that Ars knows of, the car's black box did not register an accident and the airbags did not deploy, presumably due to the lower speeds involved. The ID.4 sustained several thousands of dollars of damage to the battery pack.

 

[Keef]

There's been some reports that some drivers may have accidentally brushed the capacitive touch button to enable cruise control, causing unintended acceleration which have led to accidents

Capacitive controls could be the cause of a spate of VW ID.4 crashes

Unlike buttons, capacitive controls require just the slightest touch to activate.

arstechnica.com

My Sequoia's cruise control becomes inactive below 25 mph. My Rav4's stops at 20 mph which is nice for cruising down slow roads. I've been in rental cars where this is also the norm, somewhere about 20-25 mph. Hyundai and Kia don't even let you "turn on" cruise control if certain parameters aren't met, mainly a minimum speed. Most cars at least allow you to turn it not, rather than engage it.

It shouldn't be possible to engage cruise control at parking speeds. If it is, that is a catastrophic failure by VW engineers. VWs aren't typically available to rent so I have no experience with them and their rules.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

VW America CEO resigns

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www.motor1.com

Pablo Di Si, CEO of Volkswagen Group and Volkswagen Brand for North America, has resigned. The German automaker announced the news on Tuesday, though it's not clear exactly when he stepped down. In a press release, VW states Di Si "stepped down from his position on his own request."

Di Si's departure is effective immediately. Gerrit Spengler, currently the chief human resources officer for VW Group of America, will serve as interim CEO until December 12. That's when Dr. Kjell Gruner takes over as the new boss for North American operations, handling both the Volkswagen brand and VW Group.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. Gruner was formerly the CEO of Porsche North America, assuming the role in 2020. He left Porsche for Rivian in 2023, though he resigned from the electric brand earlier this year. Prior to all that, he spent 10 years as Porsche's global chief marketing officer. In short, he has some familiarity with the VW family.

At my job, I was talking to a co-worker who used to work at Applied Intuition which has a partnership with Porsche, because Porsche was getting tired of all the issues with Cariad, the software company the rest of the Volkswagen group was using. Gruner was one of the people in Porsche who pushed to get away from Cariad. They worked closely with the manufacturer and they could tell how much internal politics was going on within Volkswagen.

Applied Intuition and Porsche partnership on automotive software

Applied Intuition and Porsche announce a strategic partnership to develop vehicle software and provide unique consumer experiences.

www.appliedintuition.com

Now that VW put in billions into Rivian and Gruner was momentarily in Rivian, it sounds like there was definitely a lot of internal conversations. VW is putting all their eggs into this one basket. Hopefully it works out for them, because I don't see them making out of this decade alive if this fails.

The NYT recently published an article about all the mistakes they made in the Chinese market, it's a really interesting read.

How Volkswagen Lost Its Way in China

A brutal price war, sudden shifts in consumer demand and human rights issues in Xinjiang have left VW stumbling in a market it led for 40 years.

www.nytimes.com

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Volkswagen to overhaul entire electric car line-up in 2026 | Autocar

VW's R&D boss confirms cull for combustion car range, plus Polo refresh and timing of ID 2 SUV launch

www.autocar.co.uk

A lot of information about future VWs was revealed at the LA auto show. Starting from 2026, the ID range will be completely revamped. There'll be a new ID2 concept car as well as a update to the Polo. There'll be a GTI based on the ID2 and the first GTI will be launched in 2026

Volkswagen will launch heavily updated versions of its ID models from 2026 as part of a significant upgrade to the MEB architecture on which they are based.

VW R&D boss Kai Grünitz confirmed the developments to Autocar at the Los Angeles motor show, as well as the launch of a new ID 2 SUV concept car at the 2025 Munich motor show, a 2025 revamp for the Polo, a slimming down of the brand’s combustion-engined range when Euro 7 emissions regulations kick in next year, and the role Rivian will play in the development of future VWs.

Grünitz said the “huge improvements” from 2026 to the current ID range will include an all-new look that is “going back to where we came from”, as well as improvements in battery costs and overall performance and new functionality.

The look of the new ID models is set to be inspired by the ID 2all concept car, which presents design boss Andreas Mindt’s vision for the future of VW designs with an aesthetic that is altogether friendlier and inspired by the likes of past Golf models.

Grünitz said this look will be more akin “to what Volkswagen stands for” from a design perspective and, along with the production version of the ID 2all, will signal a big visual leap for VW as part of company boss Thomas Schäfer’s desire to make VW a “loved brand” again.

Grünitz confirmed that development of the production version of the VW ID 2all concept car remains on track for a late 2025/early 2026 launch. He said it will be the “starting point” for this new era for VW, “because customers will see there has been a change, and a much bigger change than expected”.

An SUV variant of the ID 2 will also be previewed at the Munich motor show in September 2025, Grünitz confirmed, as the second VW model to be built using the MEB Entry architecture.

A GTI version of the ID 2 is also planned and has been previewed by a concept car. Grünitz said it is “easy” to add performance to electric cars but less so to add “DNA”, such as the characteristics attributed to GTI that have made Golf GTIs great in the past. However, Grünitz said the firm has “ideas that you’ll be surprised” by when the first electric GTI is launched in 2026.