Volkswagen ID.Life Electric Mini-SUV Concept is Ready for Prime Time

Volkswagen’s next-generation electric vehicles are starting to paint a real nice picture, even though the ID.4 compact crossover is the only one that Canadians can order so far.

This week at the IAA show in Munich, the German automaker hosted the world premiere of an electric mini-SUV concept called ID.Life that will expand the lineup with another production model for Europe by 2025.

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Could we see it on this side of the Atlantic someday? You’d better keep your fingers crossed. As you probably know, the Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback is a sharp-looking car that Volkswagen refuses to bring to North America for now. If the company intends to sell a majority of EVs by 2030, it has to make affordable options accessible to consumers in most markets. And no, the future ID.Buzz van won’t be one of them.

The ID.Life concept is a small urban crossover with a removable top for open-air motoring and a number of sustainable materials throughout including plastic made from recycled bottles. In the clear coat for the bodywork, wood chips are used as a natural colouring agent along with a bio-based hardener.

The seating design is extremely flexible. For instance, the front and rear seats can be completely folded down, enabling a range of different possibilities from cinema seating to a bed measuring around two metres in length, to a cargo version that maximises utility.

Essential driving functions are controlled via a touch panel on the hexagonal, yoke-style steering wheel, and a smartphone can be integrated in the operating system. There’s a gaming console and a projection screen that extends from the dash panel for people who would like to watch a movie or play video games (when the vehicle is parked, of course). What’s more, cameras and a display replace both the exterior and interior mirrors. 

We don’t know how much of the above will make it to production, but we’re definitely intrigued.

As for the electric motor powering the Volkswagen ID.Life, it delivers 231 horsepower—beating the ID.4’s 201 horsepower—while its 57-kWh battery provides a WLTP-estimated range of 400 kilometres. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a vehicle like that in Canada, too?