VW’s First Electric Crossover Debuts

Volkswagen has revealed the I.D. Crozz, the latest in its line of electric concept cars. the Crozz joins the I.D. family as the latest indication of what VW thinks will be possible with its MEB platform, though this one, says the automaker, is about as clear an indication of its intentions as ever there could be.

“If it was ever possible to make a one-hundred percent certain prediction of what the future will look like, here it is,” said VW’s head of design, Klaus Bischoff, in a statement. “In 2017, we are showing how Volkswagen will be transforming the roadscape from 2020.”

At 182 inches long and 74 inches wide, the I.D. Crozz is a little smaller than the new European Tiguan and has more than 300 hp and AWD. With roughly 200 hp going to the back wheels and the remaining 100 hp at the front, the Crozz can deliver power wherever it’s needed.

If, for instance, you were offroading, the Crozz can send power to all four wheels, but for city driving, it can conserve energy by only powering certain wheels.

Thanks to that power saving ability, the I.D. Crozz can go up to 311 miles on a charge, and with fast charging it can recharge up to 80% in just 30 minutes.

Although the I.D. Crozz is a crossover, it’s roofline is much lower than that of, say, a Tiguan. That’s because VW designers have imbued it with the lines of a Coupe. That coupe-like quality is more than just skin deep.

Thanks to its low center of gravity (the bulk of the weight is kept below the floor in the battery packs), its 48-52 weight distribution, its ability to precisely direct power to the wheel that needs it, and its multi-link rear suspension VW says that the I.D. Crozz will have all the performance of a GTI.

As well as being a driver’s car, though, VW says this concept is driverless, thanks to I.D. Pilot which can take over driving duties. As with VW’s other I.D. concepts, touching the VW badge at the center of the steering wheel causes it to retract into the dash, allowing for more space in the driver’s compartment while the car drives itself.

Also as with the other I.D. concepts, the Crozz’s interior is open concept, with seats that rearrange, and in this case, can fold up like a cinema seat to allow for more storage inside. Revealingly, VW seems to suggest in its press material that it will bring autonomous driving to dealerships in 2025.

In the meantime, then, the car’s based on this concept could also get augmented reality, which here is manifested in colored lights that highlight hazards through the windshield. For example, if a pedestrian walks into your periphery, they will be highlighted by the windshield, subtly warning you of the danger.

The I.D. Crozz is VW’s third electric concept, following the I.D. compact hatchback and the I.D. Buzz, microbus. Those two showed the extremes of scale that the MEB platform can handle. The Crozz, meanwhile, seems to be a demonstration of what VW really thinks will sell. Rumors suggest that one more I.D. concept is still forthcoming, a sedan. That is expected to debut at the Frankfurt auto show this fall.

The post VW’s First Electric Crossover Debuts appeared first on VWVortex.

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Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway

Waterfest 24 will be held at Atco Dragway, in Atco, New Jersey. The summer event will take place at its new venue on July 21 and 22. Long held in Englishtown, New Jersey, the festival has been such a large part of the VW scene that the latest iteration of the Golf even comes with optional “Englishtown” wheels . The new venue, however, is an NHRA drag track a scant 52 miles southwest of Englishtown. The ¼ mile drag track opened in 1960, which makes it the oldest drag strip in New Jersey. The announcement came today on a social media post that announced the new location. Waterfest is North America’s largest VW/Audi show. As many 20,000 people show up for the annual show, making the second largest show in the world—with Worthersee being number one. 2018 will be Waterfest’s 24 th year in existence. The post Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2GQjkuc via IFTTT

Macau Gets Messy with 16-Car Pileup

The Macau Grand Prix is always good for an accident or two or 16— you may remember Audi’s race ending crash last year —and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. It didn’t take long for things to get messy on the tight road circuit. On the opening lap of the qualifying race a 16-car pileup caused the race to be suspended. Things kicked off when Daniel Juncadella hit a wall on the exit of Police bend, one of the tightest parts of the already tight circuit. The following car of Raffaele Marciello was able to avoid the carnage, but Laurens Vanthoor, who was in the upside-down Audi that ended the race last year, could not avoid Juncadella and together they blocked up the road pretty much completely. “I couldn’t see him [Juncadella] at first. Then I saw the car standing still,” Vanthoor told Motorsport. “I tried to brake but it was just understeering and I couldn’t do anything. There’s room for one car there and you’re blind.” Fourteen more cars would eventually crash into the corner c

The First of its Kind: Integrated Engineering Releases Highly-Anticipated IE450T MK6 Golf R Turbo Kit

After two long years of development, the team at Integrated Engineering has finally announced the release of their IE450T kit for the MK6 Golf R. With their turbo kit bolted on right out of the box, the sport AWD hatch is transformed into a 450bhp monster, with hardly any noticeable increase in spool time. In fact, 435 ft-lbs of torque are achieved at all four wheels, at a mere 3300rpm! By now you are probably asking yourself how this is even possible on a 2.0L engine that made nearly half that power from the factory. By employing true twin-scroll technology into the cast turbo manifold and pairing it with a state-of-the-art BorgWarner EFR turbocharger, IE was able to keep spool time at a minimum and bring the fastest-spooling big turbo setup to the market. “We wanted to offer a kit that would dramatically increase the power output without making the car lose its amazing street-friendly drivability,” mentioned one of the IE engineers. We are told the IE450T leaves the car driving jus

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