Photo: Volkswagen
If somebody ever invented the time machine, my first trip wouldn't be to the future, but back in time to that point when somebody decided that concept cars - and particularly electric ones - need to look weird. I would look for that person, I would find them, and I would kill them.
There aren't any studies to back this up, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the reasons why electric cars did not catch up quicker was because they almost looked like clown cars. The production versions less so, but if you happened to attend a motor show during the past few years and you saw a car that seemed drawn by an overexcited kid, you could bet your life on it having an electric powertrain.
The odds on that bet were made even better by the fact that for the past two years or so, almost every concept had some sort of electrification going on for it. Volkswagen wasn't so big on the whole battery thing, but after the TDI business fell, the German giant has suddenly developed a taste for it.
This year, it announced no less than 30 all-electric models by 2025, and if that seems like a long time from now, I'd like to remind you we're one foot in 2017. That means Volkswagen has seven years to accomplish this promise, out of which the first few will be lost with research and testing, as the company starts from scratch. Well, it may borrow some tech from Audi or Porsche, but it's still a mountain to climb.
A series of patents filed in late September may show what the second largest car maker has in store for us. We're not quite sure what we're looking at here, but two things are obvious: some of them are definitely meant to be self-driving, and almost all of them are butt-ugly.
A few of the shown vehicles - the less ugly ones - do have some Italdesign influences - Giugiaro's design firm that Volkswagen bought a few years ago, so these could be nothing more than an exercise. If not, then that would indicate that Volkswagen is planning quite a varied range for its EVs, including things like buses and semi trucks.
Would we like to see any of these concepts making it into production? Frankly, no. Is there any chance for that to happen? Considering Volkswagen's history with concepts, we'd have to say no. They might get to sit under the bright lights of various motor shows, but that would be about it. And it's for the best.
The odds on that bet were made even better by the fact that for the past two years or so, almost every concept had some sort of electrification going on for it. Volkswagen wasn't so big on the whole battery thing, but after the TDI business fell, the German giant has suddenly developed a taste for it.
This year, it announced no less than 30 all-electric models by 2025, and if that seems like a long time from now, I'd like to remind you we're one foot in 2017. That means Volkswagen has seven years to accomplish this promise, out of which the first few will be lost with research and testing, as the company starts from scratch. Well, it may borrow some tech from Audi or Porsche, but it's still a mountain to climb.
A series of patents filed in late September may show what the second largest car maker has in store for us. We're not quite sure what we're looking at here, but two things are obvious: some of them are definitely meant to be self-driving, and almost all of them are butt-ugly.
A few of the shown vehicles - the less ugly ones - do have some Italdesign influences - Giugiaro's design firm that Volkswagen bought a few years ago, so these could be nothing more than an exercise. If not, then that would indicate that Volkswagen is planning quite a varied range for its EVs, including things like buses and semi trucks.
Would we like to see any of these concepts making it into production? Frankly, no. Is there any chance for that to happen? Considering Volkswagen's history with concepts, we'd have to say no. They might get to sit under the bright lights of various motor shows, but that would be about it. And it's for the best.
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