At the lately concluded IAA Mobility Munich Motor Show, Volkswagen emerged because the star of the present’s social media traits with its latest drop: the ID. Cross Concept. The historic German model, identified for its iconic fashions together with the Polo, Golf and, extra lately, the massively common Virtus in India, made an enormous splash because it unveiled its new compact SUV. An electric car, as its ‘ID’ prefix suggests, the compact SUV emerged on stage — and displayed on Munich’s public sq., displaying itself as a svelte, compact SUV, slotted for a summer time 2026 launch.
ID. Cross Concept
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Special Arrangement
Social media was abuzz with Volkswagen’s latest child, which is characterised by its ‘smiling’ entrance, graphics and 3-D lights. “I wanted to make a happy car, one that looks like it is smiling. There are so many angry, aggressive looking cars out there in the market already,” Andreas Mindt, Volkswagen’s world design head tells me, in a personal chat, behind the scenes of the expo.
Be that as it could, the near-production ID. Cross Concept is, certainly, an enormous deal for the automotive world because it publicizes Volkswagen’s new design path, christened Pure Positive.
At the outset, the silhouette of the car is resolutely cleaner and extra minimalistic, and the skilled eye will be capable to discover refined references to historic fashions just like the Golf or the Volkswagen Bus (pronounced C-pillars, straight window strains and floating roofline).
Interiors of the ID. Cross Concept
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Special Arrangement
We get unique entry to the within of the ID.Cross Concept car, the place pastels and monochrome textures dominate. I do give full marks for the fabric-covered areas — a shade of beige that the designers have referred to as Vanilla Chai, that allude to a wellness sanctuary or a lounge inside the car.
The total really feel of the interiors are spacious and calming, simply becoming 5 passengers. Technology is seamlessly built-in as plant motifs and actual vegetation are projected on the floating 13-inch centre console, to create an extra sense of leisure and wellness.
The ID. Cross Concept
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Special Arrangement
Much to the aid of automotive traditionalists, this car eschews the solely ‘soft key’ mannequin by bringing again sure arduous keys, to manage essential features, as effectively a redesigned steering wheel, laden with utilitarian buttons. The 11-inch digital instrument cluster additionally seems to drift effortlessly in entrance of the motive force and each this one and the centre display screen function an intuitive, straightforward, person interface, with voice integration.
Interiors of the ID. Cross Concept
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Special Arrangement
Andreas additionally signifies that each one future Volkswagen fashions will probably be primarily based on this new design language, beginning with the ID. Cross. The electric SUV boasts Volkswagen’s new ‘Made in Europe’ drive system MEB+ with front-wheel drive, guarantees a spread of 420kms on a single cost, an influence of 155 kW and attains a prime pace of 175 kmph.
The ID. Cross is one in every of 4 electric vehicles that Volkswagen will launch globally in 2026. While the legacy carmaker has not formally confirmed its arrival within the Indian market, we do see this as an important and viable compact SUV, as a classy every day driver for households. Volkswagen’s new design language, whereas cleverly referencing its robust legacy worth, has certainly piqued our curiosity.
