Before Volkswagen offers North American consumers the all-electric Microbus redux we’ve been eagerly awaiting, the German giant will send us an EV crossover SUV. VW announced the plan at the Los Angeles auto show, saying the production model will follow the design philosophy of the I.D. Crozz concept. The forthcoming crossover will arrive in 2020 and be the first U.S.-bound Volkswagen to ride on the company’s MEB modular platform. Designed specifically for electric vehicles, the MEB platform also will form the basis of the reborn Bus, which will reach U.S. roads in 2022 and draw heavily from the I.D. Buzz concept.
Expect the production Volkswagen EV crossover SUV to share its fastback styling with the I.D. Crozz concept and cast a shadow similar in size to the Tiguan compact crossover SUV. The I.D. Crozz concept, originally revealed in Shanghai and shown for the first time in North America in L.A., features a pair of electric motors that produce a combined 302 horsepower. The concept primarily relies on its 201-hp rear-axle-mounted motor for forward momentum. If additional traction or power is needed, the 101-hp front-axle-mounted motor can step in and assist.
Power to the two motors comes courtesy of an 83-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that lives in the floorboard. Volkswagen claims the battery pack is capable of pushing the concept approximately 300 miles on a single charge. Additionally, Volkswagen maintains that the battery pack can recuperate 80 p...