We've already told you at least one thing the German carmaker has in store for 2019, and that's the release of the I.D. Crozz electric crossover coupe thingy, but what about this year that has just started and that we still find very hard not to refer to as "next year?"
Well, we're not entirely sure whether Volkswagen saw this partially as a joke, but it did release a short video where it lists the highlights of the next 12 months. Why a joke? Well, mostly because of the very serious and affected voiceover that resembles those used for mock movie trailers, but also because of some of the actual things in the presentation.
For one thing, it all kicks off by calling that 2018 will be "fast" with some footage of the new Polo GTI in the background. Hmm, that seems legit: a small hatchback with 200 hp could be described as "fast." Except the actual focus is on another GTI model: the even smaller up! with just 115 hp.
Don't get us wrong, the up! GTI is most likely going to be an extremely fun car to drive, but you could hardly say it's fast, let alone fast enough to warrant the use of the adjective to describe the entire year of its launch.
The second talking point of 2018 for VW is the launch of the all-new Touareg, previewed by the T-Prime Concept GTE. The actual SUV seems to copy the concept's design cues almost one-for-one, but as the clip says, it's actually its interior that will steal the show. The Jetta and the T-Cross, two more affordable models, get a passing mention as well as they prepare for their market releases.
Of course, the I.D. family, Volkswagen's budding electric range couldn't have missed, but there isn't really any new EV coming. All VW will do is launch another concept car - either the I.D. Lounge or the I.D. AEROe, according to the timeline leaked last year. The first commercially-available I.D. model will be the electric hatchback that launched the moniker in the first place.
This is where the second funny bit happens. The voiceover suddenly becomes even more serious and gravely announces that the release of a concept car is "clear evidence that Volkswagen is VERY serious and takes great steps toward the age of electro-mobility." Uhmm, no it isn't.
Finally, the Pikes Peak record attempt in a purpose-built electric prototype gets a mention as well. Had Volkswagen started with this after mentioning the word "fast" we might have had a different take on the whole clip. Anyway, it will definitely be interesting to watch the EV tackle the infamous hill climb.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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