Volkswagen’s I.D. Crozz is a sharp electric concept with a terrible name

Volkswagen has announced a new electric crossover SUV concept called the I.D. Crozz at the Auto Shanghai 2017. It’s the latest in what the company calls a “range of avant-garde electric vehicles,” which includes the I.D. Buzz microbus that was announced in January, and the I.D. compact concept from last year. Despite the terrible name — get it? Crozz like Crossover, just like Buzz was like Bus? — it’s a sharp-looking vehicle that will serve as inspiration for the real version Volkswagen will put into production in 2020.

Like any good concept, the I.D. Crozz is a bit outlandish. It’s supposed to use augmented reality to feed the driver information, as well as gesture control to navigate that interface. (The gesture control can also even supposedly be used to open the sunroof.) And it has autonomous tech, too — tap the VW logo on the steering wheel, and the Crozz will whisk you away in self-driving mode. It has giant wheels and a big, wide base (that sits around the battery pack in the floor). If anything, I think it looks a bit like a toned-down version of the jagged and toothy Lexus UX Concept.

The more realistic side of the I.D. Crozz gives us an idea of how VW expects a real road-ready EV crossover to behave. The company says the SUV will have a top speed of about 180 kilometers per hour (112 mph) and a range of 500 kilometers, or about 311 miles. Drivers will be able to recharge the Crozz’s battery to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes on a 150 kW charger.

There aren’t many of those yet — but wouldn’t you know it, the larger Volkswagen Group recently received approval to build a nationwide network full of 150 kW charging stations. If and when VW can make all this come together, that sounds like awfully good competition for the Model X and Tesla’s network of Superchargers.

“Avant-garde electric vehicles” is a more clever — and certainly much more fun — phrase than “cars we felt we had to make because of that emissions cheating scandal.” Volkswagen Group wasn’t exactly speeding toward creating a fleet of electric vehicles before it was caught modifying its diesel cars to skirt emissions regulations in 2015. A big part of the nearly $15 billion settlement with regulators in response to that scandal was that Volkswagen Group would invest more than $2 billion into the development of zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure — of which the new charging network is part.

Volkswagen Group also committed to launching 30 different electric vehicles by 2025 following that settlement, which would make up about a quarter of the larger company’s fleet. (Audi’s new E-Tron Sportback concept gives us an idea of how they’re pitching in.) VW is obviously still in the concept stages of that commitment, but ideas like the Crozz show the company is headed in a pretty good direction even if it came down the wrong road.