Skip to main content

Production I.D. Hatchback to be Called I.D. 1, Trademarks Suggest

Volkswagen went on a trademarking tear this week, reserving nine names that could apply to motorized vehicles with European Union Intellectual Property Office. The names are I.D. 1, through I.D. 9 and will likely apply to the brand’s suite of upcoming electric vehicles.

Volkswagen has already spent a lot of time and effort applying the name to its EV concepts, simply calling its first post-dieselgate EV concept based on the MEB platform “I.D.” After that, it released the I.D. Buzz, I.D. Crozz, and I.D. Vizzion concepts.

It also called its Pikes Peak record-shattering EV racer the I.D. R. With all that time and effort, it would stand to reason that they would want to cash in on the name recognition they have established for the I.D. brand.

Volkswagen has claimed that all four of the above-mentioned concepts (I.D., Buzz, Vizzion, and Crozz) represent vehicles that it fully intends to put into production, so that takes care of I.D. 1, I.D. 2, I.D. 3, and I.D. 4 and leaves VW with plenty of space to grow.

The naming convention also reflects a trend in the wider automotive industry to number models rather than name them. Here, I’m thinking of the Polestars 1, 2, and 3; the Lynk&Co 01, 02, etc; Cadillac’s XT4, XT5, and CT4 and 5, too; among others.

But VW might be doing more than just following trends with this naming convention. A compact car called the I.D. 1 and a retro-van called the I.D. 2 could be seen as a callback to the Type 1 and Type 2, better known as the Beetle and the Bulli (or microbus, or van, or whatever else). Better yet, the sedan could be called the I.D. 3 as a nod to the Type 3 (and I think we can all agree should mean a notchback, fastback, and wagon version would be brilliant).

We, admittedly, don’t have a clever callback name for the Crozz—which, remember, will be America’s first I.D. product—but I don’t suppose everything can be a nod to the past. The release schedule of these vehicles would mean, though, that numbers would be released out of order for my plan to work and the I.D. 2 would only arrive in 2025, which might make it unattractive route for VW.

If they were to use I.D. numbers to harken back to Type numbers, though, it would also suggest that the I.D. 1 is about as Beetle-y an EV as we’re likely to get, putting the Beetle well and truly to bed for a good long while. That is what VW promised, though, so I suppose it’s not a surprise and since the beginning, the brand talked about the I.D. as a cross between the Beetle and the Golf. 

With production of the I.D. set to begin in 2019, VW should be getting ready to show off the production version shortly, and we’ll know for sure if these trademarks are applied (or if it’s just VW covering its bases). Although that one won’t come to America, reports this week suggest that the production I.D. Crozz will start at $21,000, when it arrives in showrooms in 2020.

The post Production I.D. Hatchback to be Called I.D. 1, Trademarks Suggest appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex https://ift.tt/2z1qR77
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as...

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv

More 3.0-Liter TDI Settlement Details Expected by January 31

Volkswagen and the TDI Plaintiff’s Steering Committee were in court today for another status conference following the agreement in principal reached earlier this week. Little new information was given at the conference held before Judge Charles Breyer today, but the court ordered the parties to develop a formal settlement agreement, class action notices, and a class notice plan by January 31, 2017. For now, though, owners still don’t know how much to expect in compensation. Elizabeth Cabraser, lead Counsel for the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee reaffirmed in a statement today that the compensation would be “substantial.” The potential cost to Volkswagen is widely reported to exceed $1 billion, though, with an additional $225 million going into an environmental trust to help offset excess emissions. Buy back offers are still only expected for the oldest 20,000 of the roughly 80,000 VW Group vehicles sold in America with the 3.0-liter TDI engine. Those vehicles are mostly SUVs, like ...