Photo: Gabriel Arruda via Instagram
Volkswagen's name has been through a lot recently, and while that expression is generally used in its figurative sense, its most literal form applies in this case.
Just in case you missed it, for about two days, it was believed Volkswagen's operations in the U.S. would go about under a very slightly different name: Voltswagen. See what they did there? By replacing just one letter, the German manufacturer did more to boost its EV credentials than even investing billions of dollars ever could have. It was that simple. And just as fake.
Yeah, there will be no Voltswagen, just the plain-old Volkswagen we've always known. However, just because it's not changing its name, that doesn't mean the company is pulling the plug on its EV investment. All previous plans remain in place, which means VW's ID range will continue to grow over the coming years.
Right now, it only includes two models: the ID.3 and ID.4, with two more set to join shortly—the ID.5 and ID.6. The ID house is not exactly filled to the brim at the moment, and with these four models (three of which are SUV/crossover things) aiming to be volume sellers, it's not exactly full of excitement either. Oh, and one of the upcoming releases is a van, the ID.Buzz. If that hasn't gotten your blood pumping, we don't know what will.
In all seriousness, Volkswagen can't rely on its sister brands like Porsche and Audi to provide all the battery-powered excitement and will have to join in at some point with a driver-oriented model. When that happens, VW could do a lot worse than the all-electric GT imagined by Gabriel Arruda in these images you can see in the gallery.
It's worth pointing out that before the Porsche Taycan Turbo S or the Audi RS e-tron GT were even a thing, Volkswagen was out on the Nürburgring and at Pikes Peak setting out new records in the purpose-built ID.R race car. So, just because its name translates to "people's car", that doesn't mean it doesn't know how to do cars for just a certain type of people.
Gabriel's rendering gets a lot of things right, but it also has one massive slip-up. We're talking about the car's front end and, more particularly, its light signature. Does that remind you of something? It should because the reminiscence is blatant. We're talking about Renaults, in general, and the TREZOR concept in particular. Not a bad piece of design to resemble, it's true, but the levels or originality are a bit too low for our liking.
That said, the rest of the car's shape and details suggest it could mark the return of the "Scirocco" nameplate. That rear end has a certain vibe about it that would make it a perfect match for one of Volkswagen's most revered names, and it would certainly be less controversial than what Ford did with the Mustang moniker in the whole Mach E situation.
Could this be the ultimate performance model from Volkswagen? Stylistically speaking, there's obviously room for more. At the same time, we've learned by now not to judge an EV's capabilities by its covers or do so at our own expense. That means we could very well be looking at a fictive Volkswagen answer to the Tesla Roadster, at least in the same way the ID.3 is an answer to the Model 3 in terms of performance. We don't know about you, but if this thing did the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.5 seconds, we'd be totally OK with it.
Yeah, there will be no Voltswagen, just the plain-old Volkswagen we've always known. However, just because it's not changing its name, that doesn't mean the company is pulling the plug on its EV investment. All previous plans remain in place, which means VW's ID range will continue to grow over the coming years.
Right now, it only includes two models: the ID.3 and ID.4, with two more set to join shortly—the ID.5 and ID.6. The ID house is not exactly filled to the brim at the moment, and with these four models (three of which are SUV/crossover things) aiming to be volume sellers, it's not exactly full of excitement either. Oh, and one of the upcoming releases is a van, the ID.Buzz. If that hasn't gotten your blood pumping, we don't know what will.
In all seriousness, Volkswagen can't rely on its sister brands like Porsche and Audi to provide all the battery-powered excitement and will have to join in at some point with a driver-oriented model. When that happens, VW could do a lot worse than the all-electric GT imagined by Gabriel Arruda in these images you can see in the gallery.
It's worth pointing out that before the Porsche Taycan Turbo S or the Audi RS e-tron GT were even a thing, Volkswagen was out on the Nürburgring and at Pikes Peak setting out new records in the purpose-built ID.R race car. So, just because its name translates to "people's car", that doesn't mean it doesn't know how to do cars for just a certain type of people.
Gabriel's rendering gets a lot of things right, but it also has one massive slip-up. We're talking about the car's front end and, more particularly, its light signature. Does that remind you of something? It should because the reminiscence is blatant. We're talking about Renaults, in general, and the TREZOR concept in particular. Not a bad piece of design to resemble, it's true, but the levels or originality are a bit too low for our liking.
That said, the rest of the car's shape and details suggest it could mark the return of the "Scirocco" nameplate. That rear end has a certain vibe about it that would make it a perfect match for one of Volkswagen's most revered names, and it would certainly be less controversial than what Ford did with the Mustang moniker in the whole Mach E situation.
Could this be the ultimate performance model from Volkswagen? Stylistically speaking, there's obviously room for more. At the same time, we've learned by now not to judge an EV's capabilities by its covers or do so at our own expense. That means we could very well be looking at a fictive Volkswagen answer to the Tesla Roadster, at least in the same way the ID.3 is an answer to the Model 3 in terms of performance. We don't know about you, but if this thing did the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.5 seconds, we'd be totally OK with it.
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