Volkswagen Shows ID Hatch Test Video, Proves It's Not Vaporware

But today, we got the first official videos of the ID hatchback model, believed to be called Neo, from a small test drive event in South Africa. This is, of course, the same car we showed you spyshots of yesterday, and VW has now reiterated the fact that it will be launched in 2019.

So it's looking like next year will be pretty good for the electric car. We're going to have another wave of customers replacing their old internal combustion cars thanks to incentives all over Europe. Unfortunately, the little ID won't be coming to America, and it won't be very cheap either.

Initial specs suggest the base model will have about 330 kilometers of range (205 miles) on a 48kWh battery. There's also going to be a higher range model at launch with about 450 km (280 miles), while the flagship offering more will come a little later.

So the cheapest model won't be radically better than the Nissan Leaf or Renault Zoe. However, VW being one of the biggest brands in the world certainly has its advantages. For starters, the concept had 170 PS and 300 Nm (221 pound-feet) of torque. And we're told the Neo is supposed to have 125 kW DC fast charging capability, trumping even the Supercharger.

The styling has evolved a little from the original concept. A higher hood line probably has something to do with pedestrian protection tests. Meanwhile, the double-A front pillar, raked windshield, and non-existent overhangs make this different to every other VW.

We expect the interior will borrow at least some tech from the Golf 8. That means a large HUD, new tablet infotainment and "Hello VW!" type AI that rivals the Mercedes-Benz UX. It kind of feels like we're referring to some vaporware again, right?