Sketches Reveal Look of Volkswagen’s New EV Concept

WOLFSBURG, Germany – Volkswagen provides the best hint yet to the look of its electric vehicle for next week's Paris auto show by issuing official sketches of the new zero-emissions hatchback.

The sketches hail from VW’s in-house design department located in Wolfsburg, Germany, which operates under the automaker’s newly designated design boss, Michael Mauer.

They show a futuristic-looking 4-door hatchback sporting an ultra-short front overhang, steeply rising hood line, sharply raked windshield, large wheelhouses, prominent sill elements, cantilever-style rear doors, extended roofline and what appears to be a full-glass tailgate.

By eschewing a traditional grille, using flush-fitting glass for the side windows and extending the roofline beyond the top of the tailgate, VW designers clearly are attempting to boost the aerodynamic efficiency of the new concept, which if the sketches are any indication will provide seating for up to five adults.

Further identifying features include contemporary LED headlamps and OLED taillamps, both previewed earlier this week in computer-generated images of the new EV. The sketches also appear to show a large solar panel integrated into the roof of the concept car.

Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess has hinted the new hatchback is similar in size to the latest seventh-generation Golf, which measures 168 ins. (4,260 mm) in length, 70 ins. (1,790) mm in width and 57 ins. (1,450 mm) in height.

Despite its contemporary appearance, VW sources suggest the production version of the new EV will rely on current unibody construction techniques that combine hot-formed high-strength steel, aluminum and magnesium.

The basis for the latest concept car is the automaker’s newly developed MEB platform first showcased on the Budd-e concept in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

With a flat floor housing a bank of lithium-ion batteries, Diess says the scalable MEB structure provides the new VW with interior room comparable to that of the current eighth-generation Passat.He also says it will possess a range of between 250-300 miles (403-483 km) on a single charge.

Using an 800V recharging system similar to that first revealed by VW subsidiary Porsche on its Mission-E concept at last year’s Frankfurt auto show, charging the battery to an 80% state-of-charge is said to take just 15 minutes.

While billed as a concept, the new VW bound for the Paris show is planned to go into production in 2019 as part of an EV offensive being pushed by the automaker in the wake of its diesel-emissions-manipulation scandal.

The new VW hatchback is rumored to be one of five dedicated EVs planned for production. Others include an MPV similar in style to the Budd-e, a CUV, a sedan and a sportscar.

In an earlier statement, the automaker said it was targeting annual sales of 1 million EVs by 2025.