VW's ID Space Vizzion electric concept car doesn't have door handles
The Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion electric concept car can go up to 300 miles on a single charge, boasts an impressive aerodynamic build, and is made with recycled materials — but don't look for something as basic as a door handle on the compact SUV-sized vehicle.
The Space Vizzion is the seventh ID concept car showing what VW can do with an electric fleet as it adds more all-electric vehicles to its line-up. VW plans to add up to 20 electric vehicles on its battery platform (known as MEB, or "modular electric drive matrix") by 2025. A production-ready version of the car is expected in the U.S. by 2022. The original Vizzion concept car was first shown in 2018 as a sleek, low-riding, self-driving sedan, and the latest concept station wagon/super small SUV was revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show Tuesday night.
In the newest edition — with "Space" tacked onto the name since it's a more spacious vehicle — it's a similar vibe to other electric SUVs like the Audi E-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, and the recently revealed Ford Mustang Mach-E. But features like touch-activated surfaces instead of door handles mean you touch the car, wait for a light to pulsate, and then the door opens. Keyless entry with a smartphone or key in a pocket also activates the doors. (It's worth noting that this could potentially be a safety issue in an emergency — Tesla's sleek handles are being blamed in a wrongful death suit after a man was trapped inside a burning Model S with the door handles retracted.)
The car is electronically limited to 109 mph as the max speed (which means it could go faster) and can go 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds.
Inside the car, things get funkier.
Forget the traditional dashboard showing all the drive information like speed, charge level, and tire pressure. The ID Space Vizzion uses an augmented reality heads-up display with a projected digital overlay on the windshield. Yes, there'll still be a mini display on the driver side with essential information. There's also a 15.6-inch touchscreen up front and center for entertainment, climate, and other information.
The car also attempts to tap into your feelings with its keen awareness of what's going on around the vehicle. If you're stuck in traffic, the front display will switch to a "relaxing" and calming color and lighting to chill you out. Traffic sucks, but at least your car is trying to help with your stress levels.
Also inside you'll spot AppleSkin material as a leather alternative, made from apple residue from apple juice production. This same product will replace all plastic inserts in the car. Volkswagen has used the apple material in other vehicles previously as a vegan leather option.
The car also greets you and bids you farewell with a headlight animation (basically a personal light show). How polite! How fun!
Welcome to the VW electric concept family, Space Vizzion. May you one day become a reality, no door handles and all.
Topics Electric Vehicles
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
