VW pivots EV strategy to include three crucial SUVS

Reinvented ID line-up gains high-tech flagship, Tiguan equivalent and entry-level SUV

- GREG KABLE

Volkswagen is preparing V to launch a trio of crucial new electric SUVs under a revised ID model strategy recently implemented by its CEO, Thomas Schäfer.

The three new SUVs have been conceived to provide the German car maker with a broader spread of electric models in each of Europe's key market segments. They will build on the foundations laid by the ID 4 and ID 5- both of which are set to be upgraded with more powerful electric drive-train options later this year, prior to receiving a facelift and more contemporary digital interior functions in early 2024.

Bigger VW SUVs will use more advanced tech than the ID 3

Included in Volkswagen's electric SUV plans are a pair of big-selling new crossovers -one mid-sized and the other much smaller - both aimed at traditional volume segments, plus a luxurious and highly advanced range-topper that will serve as a halo model for the company's all-EV line-up.

RADICAL REINVENTION FOR TIGUAN

The first to arrive will be what insiders at the company refer to as the electric Tiguan. Described as having a more traditional and upright exterior design than the ID 4 and ID 5, it is tentatively planned to be introduced in 2025.

Secrecy surrounds the new model, although it is expected to offer the choice of both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive along with a standard five-seat and optional seven-seat interior layout.

Today's ICE Tiguan will be reinvented for an EV future

The basis for Volkswagen's upcoming mid-range electric SUV is the company's new MEB+ architecture - a further developed version of today's MEB structure announced by Schäfer in 2022.