Volkswagen’s New Large SUV Reveals Interior: Giant Screens Galore

With the upcoming ID.2 Polo, Volkswagen promises to bring back the buttons, but physical controls won’t be returning anywhere. Ralf Brandstätter, the company’s China boss, said last year that while Europeans long for the days of analog switchgear, buyers in China prefer something completely different: “AI-first, connected vehicles, with seamless voice control and intelligent cockpits.”

With identification. 9X era, Chinese customers got what they wanted. The company’s new three-row SUV for the world’s largest auto market has an interior you wouldn’t necessarily recognize as a VW if not for the badge. This six-seat behemoth has few old-fashioned controls, with buttons kept to a minimum. Instead, the dashboard is dominated by a dual 15.6-inch setup.

That’s not all. There’s a 21.4-inch screen that folds down from the ceiling for rear-seat entertainment. Passengers sitting in the second row captain’s chairs also receive door projectors that display a variety of multimedia content. The digital instrument cluster has been replaced by a head-up display, although we imagine the giant display next to it will attract most of the attention.

Photo by: Volkswagen

VW has installed ambient lighting throughout the cabin, spanning 42 feet (12.8 meters) and extending to the ceiling to flank the panoramic sunroof. The interior adopts a completely flat floor because we are dealing with an electric vehicle. Not just any electric vehicle, but the company’s first electric vehicle to feature a range-extending gasoline engine.

Coinciding with the interior images is news from SAIC Volkswagen about the start of range extender production. This is a 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged unit from the long-running “EA211” family with 141 horsepower. VW claims its new engine uses the Lambda One combustion method “under all operating conditions,” where λ represents the air-fuel equivalence ratio.

When λ = 1, the air and fuel are perfectly balanced, meaning that there is enough air to burn all the fuel completely. This results in efficient combustion, maximizing energy output, and minimizing harmful pollutants. Mazda is attempting to do the same with its upcoming Skyactiv-Z engine, debuting next year in the CX-5, which features an in-house hybrid setup. Porsche’s T-Hybrid system has also been designed for an ideal air-fuel ratio of 14.7:1.

Photo by: Volkswagen

ID. The Era 9X comes in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive variants with single and dual motor setups. This is a great SUV, measuring 205 inches (5207 mm) long, 78.6 inches (1997 mm) wide and 71.2 inches (1810 mm) high. The 120.8-inch (3070 mm) wheelbase accommodates a 51.1 kWh battery or an optional 65.2 kWh package, the latter fitted as standard on the all-wheel-drive version. The larger battery is capable of an all-electric range of 249 miles (400 kilometers), even under CLTC’s more relaxed testing cycle in China.

As you can imagine, this is one of the heaviest models VW has ever developed. The dual-motor variant tips the scales at up to 5,952 pounds (2,700 kilograms). It also features a new design language more tailored to Chinese tastes, complete with fresh colors like Fairy Green and Desert Gold. Its screen-filled interior apparently “combines German aesthetics with Eastern charm.”

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Source: Volkswagen

Motorcycle Pickup1: ID. The 9X Era isn’t your average VW, and that’s the point. The goal is to launch a truly China-centric product rather than taking a global model and expanding its wheelbase, as has been the case since the company set foot in China decades ago. It is the first of more than 20 New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) to enter the local market by 2027, where NEV refers to pure electric and plug-in hybrid models.

It remains to be seen whether VW’s product offensive in China will bear fruit, given the intense competition. Early signs from Audi suggest that the new AUDI brand is already here fight, less than a year after launch, without the iconic Four Rings.