Volkswagen has made clear of its intention to reveal its first battery electric vehicle next month at the Paris auto show. Herbert Diess, the automaker’s chairman responded to an interview published at Industry and Economic Week magazine. He said that the electric car model in question will have an exterior design and dimensions similar to those of the Golf. The major difference between the two cars is that the new battery electric vehicle will offer a slightly larger interior space that is comparable to that of Passat.
In terms of size, the 2019 electric vehicle has been likened to Hyundai’s Ioniq electric car planned for this year. The size will also be slightly similar to that of Tesla’s Model 3, whose debut has been planned for the end of this year. Diess further added that the vehicle is dubbed as “near-production prototype” and it may be launched either at the end of 2018 or beginning of 2019. A small crossover will then be launched after the new electric vehicle. This crossover will be the production model and coupe of the concept of BUDD-e minivan.
Autocar, a United Kingdom publication confirmed that the new vehicle will have a range of 310 miles or 500 km with a 15 minute charge time. The cost will be less than that of a traditional diesel or gasoline powered car. This information was officially given by Matthias Muller, the CEO of Volkswagen Group. Muller’s confirmation could fit to the newly implemented European Driving Cycle that has is more lenient compared to the EPA rating. Additionally, the new system doesn’t actually translate to the real-world range, but instead gives a likelihood of 250 miles. A senior engineer who has knowledge about the development and research plans of Volkswagen told Autocar that the new car will be a major hit. The technology to be utilized is cutting-edge and the price will be affordable for most average motorists.
Autocar further reported that the new electric car is the only one of its kind to utilize the automaker’s novel MEB architecture. This technology was specifically invented to be used for electric vehicles. Volkswagen has made efforts to significantly increase the electric range of its cars via incorporating high-performance batteries and compact electric motors. Additional reports speculate that the company plans to set up a battery factory or battery production plant. The new electric car is part of Volkswagen ambition of producing twenty plug-in or electric cars by the year 2020. It is in response to the recent emissions scandal.