Source: Ralf Brandstätter/Linked In
Rumours that the German automaker is considering a sports version of its battery-powered ID.3 hatch in the future have gained some momentum, with Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter posting images of a project vehicle on his LinkedIn account this week.
Previewing the new concept car, dubbed ID.X, Brandstatter said (translated from German): “The team has equipped an ID.3 with an original 62kWh with an 82kWh battery and recombined it with parts of the ID.4 GTX.
“Powertrain, chassis and infotainment modified and gave the vehicle an extraordinary appearance inside and outside… The result of this experiment is a powerhouse with all-wheel drive, 245 kW power and sporty design.”
It is basically a sports version of the ID.3, created after designing the recently unveiled ID.4 GTX Volkswagen’s engineers “discovered the fun of developing high-performance electric cars”.
While the ID.X may never make it to production, Brandstatter has added that the VW team may use ideas generated from the concept vehicle in the future: could mean that the much talked about ID.3 GTX could derive from this concept car?
The interesting thing about the OD.X is that the dual electric motor delivers 245 kW, a significant 25 kW more than that of the ID.4 GTX.
In addition, the car weighs much less to the tune of 200kg. How Volkswagen managed to reduce weight has not been revealed, but all these changes significantly improve the performance of the ID.3, which can currently accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds.
“I was just able to test this prototype – and I’m thrilled,” said Brandstatter.
“From 0 to 100 in 5.3 seconds, 200 kilos lighter than its ID siblings, interior and exterior an absolute design highlight,” he said.
“I have often talked about how versatile our MEB (electric drivetrain platform) is. The ID.X makes this very clear.”
The presence of drift mode would also take the fun level up a notch.
In addition, this electric concept has a particular livery designed to enhance its sporty nature and large alloy wheels. Internally, the sports seats and colours that reflect the shades of the exterior stand out.
Unfortunately, other details were not disclosed. Too bad, because the ID.X looks very interesting indeed. What’s more important, though, is that Volkswagen will leverage many ideas from this project and it looks like a good omen for a possible ID.3 GTX.
All that remains is to wait for the arrival of new information on a possible sports version of the German battery-electric hatch.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.
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