Volkswagen Rethinks EV Strategy in China With Breathtaking ID. Code Concept

Volkswagen finally realized that the Chinese customers had gotten bored with the bland look of its ID electric models and finally changed its strategy. The newly announced ID. UX brand will cater to young buyers with an exciting new design language and cool technologies. To preview the future ID. UX models, Volkswagen unveiled the ID. Code concept at the Beijing Auto Show.

The concept marks a dramatic departure from Volkswagen's EV models, which have gotten long in the tooth and caused the German carmaker to lose market share in the world's biggest EV market. The concept sports a sleek SUV silhouette without straying too far from the cartoonish front design we know from before the ID.3 was launched. Distinctive headlight styling and illuminated Volkswagen logo have been specifically designed to appeal to younger EV buyers in China.

Volkswagen added light animations that are said to offer a "human-like touch." The animations will be updated every three months via over-the-air software updates to provide a fresh new look for the car. Volkswagen sees this as a revenue stream, as it will require a subscription. The ID. Code also introduces an avatar projected on the driver's side window as you approach with the key. As part of the Smart Window Concept, the avatar provides updates on traffic and weather conditions or acts as a digital friend.

The Smart Windows also complements the windshield to form a wrap-around theater screen. This becomes more useful as the steering wheel can retract into the dashboard when the autonomous driving mode is activated. The dashboard is also home to Lupo, a robotic vacuum cleaner. Once the car is put into the Hygiene mode, the robot will start cleaning the vehicle while disinfecting the surfaces with UV light.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as Volkswagen wants the ID. Code to show how far Volkswagen is willing to go to lure Chinese buyers. The concept boasts Level-4 autonomous driving technology and vehicle-to-vehicle communications via the Light Cloud. This consists of 967 LEDs, including the interactive 3D Eyes, which give the appearance of looking in various directions. For instance, they can follow you as you approach the vehicle, which is kind of creepy.

The Volkswagen ID. Code concept offers a first glimpse into the future of Volkswagen in China, aimed at conquering new customer groups. Volkswagen will not only leverage the partnership with the EV startup Xpeng to bring new ID. models to the market, but will also launch a new brand in China. The ID. UX is aimed at young customers, with the ID. Uniyx as its first model. This is a Cupra Tavascan in disguise and is set to arrive on the market by the end of 2024.