The Future is Electric!

Presenting, das Auto of the future – the Volkswagen I.D. Concept, shown at the Paris Motor Show.

- Aninda Sardar

THINK NEW! IT'S AN APT GUIDING principle to have when times are troubled and if there is one manufacturer that has been forced to look at things afresh, it has to be Volkswagen. And they certainly appear to have a completely new thought process, one that envisions future mass mobility as an all-electric phenomenon. Although electric mobility is nothing new with early experiments dating back to the early days of the automobile, the rise of e-power as a potential alternative to the venerable internal combustion engine is fairly recent, coinciding with a parallel rise in the clamour to save our fragile environment.

With the clamour rising inexorably towards an inevitable crescendo, VW decided the time was ripe for the company to showcase the scifi-esque I.D. Concept at the recent Paris Motor Show. Slated to go into production as early as 2020, the VW I.D. is the first in a completely new generation of electrically powered vehicles that will ply on roads around the world in the years to come.