The ID range has been slowly growing as a new electric wing of the Volkswagen brand. First to be introduced was the ID.3, which essentially is the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Golf.
The three appears in the name, inferring that this would be the third era of Volkswagen, with the first being the Beetle and Golf. Already announced to follow are the ID.4, ID.5, and the ID.6, with the latter already reaching some markets.
Rumors are circulating that the ID.7 will be a Touareg-like SUV sharing a platform with the Audi E-Tron SUV.
Outside of the numbered range is the ID. Buzz, the successor to the camper van. The ID.3 clearly shows the current design direction of the ID range, a softer front end with a sharp rear.
Without further ado, let's look at what we know about the ID.8.
Here's What We Know For Certain
The ID.8 is confirmed to be the same size as the Volkswagen Atlas, a full SUV sold in the American and Chinese markets. The Atlas is larger than the Touareg, offers three rows of seating, and was the successor to the Routan, Volkswagen's seven-seat minivan.
This means that it is likely this vehicle will be one of the largest electric vehicles on the market, at least until an all-electric Range Rover or F-150 comes to market. As a result, two things will be worse on this large vehicle; performance and range. Many electric cars have marketed themselves on their rapid acceleration and instantaneous torque, but in a larger vehicle, the same results will be hard to achieve.
Furthermore, moving such a large vehicle will require a lot of electricity, so the range may be reduced when compared to smaller vehicles. But Volkswagen has not yet released the technical details of the model. The car was, however, confirmed in a brief mention in a document on Herbert Diess's LinkedIn account.
Outlets are speculating on the vehicle's design, suggesting that it will continue the design of the ID.4 albeit just prove larger in every dimension, in the same way, the Touareg and Tiguan shared a design language. However, there's a distinctive soft nose with curved LEDs on the ID.3 and ID. Buzz, which looks delicate and classically inspired.
Such a design may look out of place on an Atlas-sized SUV, but it could be done especially considering Volkswagen's tendency to have uniformity in their designs.
The ID.3 and ID.4 share similar interiors, with a two-tone cabin, large touch screen, and digital dashboard; they are familiar to those who have driven anything within the Volkswagen Auto Group line up from the past decade but with an increased angularity in design, they look towards the future. It is expected this same interior will be carried forward into the ID.8 only scaled up to fit the larger cabin.
We'll Be Waiting A Few Years For Its Release
Volkswagen has set the aim for its ID range to be industry-leading by 2025. This means that there will be consistent releases under this moniker for the next few years whilst the subbrand becomes established.
The ID.4 was released towards the end of 2020, around the same time as the ID.3. The ID.Buzz is expected to enter production at the start of 2022; the ID.8 should be expected to be received by its first customers around a similar time. As a result of both diesel gate and taxes on more polluting vehicles, Touareg sales have slumped from their high in 2015 and continue to do so, not quite making a full recovery.
A similar car under this ID branding would need to come to market sooner rather than later to compete against other German brands, but also excellent EVs such as the Kia e-Niro and their larger hybrid, the Sorento. This early 2022 date would make perfect sense, with an unveiling later during the year either at a motor show or an event, either physical or in-person, hosted by Volkswagen.
The ID.8 Will Compete With SUVs Like The Q4 E-Tron
The SUV market is one of the most complicated in the car industry, with different variations aimed at niche demographics from almost every manufacturer.
The ID.4 is aimed at those families who don't need much extra space, so perhaps ID.8 targets those with larger families, often have guests who need transportation or use their car almost like a Transit van at times. In this larger category, there aren't many electric cars yet. But the most successful as of now are the BMW iX3, Skoda Enyaq iV, and Audi Q4 E-Tron.
Without pricing or performance figures, it is hard to place the ID.8 with any definite competition, but as it will be under the Volkswagen Auto Group umbrella, it will slot between the more budget offerings from Skoda and the luxury that comes with Audi.
The iX3 seats 5, accelerate to sixty miles per hour in under seven seconds, and has a range of 240 miles, but with a roughly $85,000 pricetag, it isn't cheap. With the ID.8 being larger than this car, if it can provide a similar range and performance with a smaller price tag, Volkswagen will be set for another sales success.