The Consumer Electronics Show that takes place in Las Vegas every year (well, the years that aren't disrupted by pandemics, that is) has become something of a motor show in recent years, as more and more manufacturers tussle to get their latest high-tech products in front of consumers, and this year's event that kicks off this week (the 5th to 8th of January) is going to feature a number of high-end, high-tech reveals from car manufacturers.
Not the least of which is Volkswagen, which will show off its first fully electric sedan based on the MEB (modular electric drive) platform that already sits under the ID.3, ID.4 and ID. Buzz, as well as a number of other VW Group brand's BEVs.
Called the ID.7, the all-electric sedan will be shown in all its glory at CES. Well... almost all its glory - it will still be clad in camouflage.
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Why you ask? Well, that's because Volkswagen is arguably showing off the camo more than the actual car itself, as it is "smart camouflage" that uses "unique technology and multi-layered paintwork" to create light effects on the external panels of the vehicle.
A frankly silly 40 layers of paint have been applied to the ID.7 that will debut at the show, with some being conductive while others have insulating properties. A total of 22 areas of the vehicle can be controlled separately and are electrified below the top layer of paint (electroluminescence) so that they light up. If all this is connected to a sound system, the rhythm is visualised by illumination of individual areas.
Yep, that's right - if this technology ever becomes feasible for use on production cars then you could annoy other people not just with loud music, but also a flashy external lightshow all over your car.
But that 40-layer paintjob would add some considerable expense, time and serious maintenance issues, so we can't see it happening soon. And imagine being the poor painter who had to try and fix it if you scrape the bumper at the Macca's drive-through...
Anyway, Volkswagen says the flashy (literally) paintwork is "an interactive feature that symbolises the next step in the digitalisation of the future flagship model of the ID. family."
The ID. AERO3 concept vehicle initially shown in China in June last year already provided a preview of the ID.7, so we do know largely what it looks like, and VW says the aerodynamic design will help it to achieve ranges of up to 700 kilometres under the WLTP test cycle.
The ID.7 will be the sixth model from Volkswagen's ID. family and the company says it is the second global car to be based on the MEB after the ID.4 - currently the ID.3 is only sold in Europe and China, while the ID.5 is a coupe version of the ID.4 and the larger ID.6 SUV is only sold in China, while the ID. Buzz van is only being sold in Europe for now, but will expand to the USA and other global markets in 2024.
Volkswagen plans to launch the electric sedan in the three primary markets of China, Europe and North America, with other markets to be confirmed at a later date.
"With the new ID.7, we are extending our electric model range into the upper segments," said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.
"The sedan will offer top-class technology and quality. The ID.7 is one of ten new electric models that we are planning to launch by 2026. Our goal? To deliver suitable products for our customers in every single segment.”
Volkswagen says it has already delivered 500,000 vehicles based on the MEB platform (counting both VW ID products and other VW Group brands) around a year earlier than planned and despite the ongoing difficulties in the supply chain.
New Zealand will get its first taste of the ID family shortly, as we will soon be one of the first markets outside the US and Europe to get the ID.4, which is set to go on sale here in the middle of the year.
