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It’s one of the biggest weeks in the auto industry, as the massive IAA auto show in Munich is now underway. Among other things, automakers take the opportunity to present concept cars, which range from nearly finished, normal vehicle models to totally wacky and unrealistic models you could assume came out of a sci-fi movie. Two electric car concepts have already been unveiled in Munich, and they stretch pretty widely from one end of the spectrum to the other. Starting with a model that is nearly ready for production and close to what consumers will be able to buy, we’ve got the Volkswagen ID. CROSS Concept.

Volkswagen ID. CROSS on the Surface
The Volkswagen ID. CROSS Concept definitely looks like a model you could buy right now. It blends right in. It could be a big hit, as it’s a perfect size for the narrow roads of Europe combined with that slightly taller sitting position so many people love or demand now.
“Pure Volkswagen — the ID. CROSS Concept follows a new design language and is intended to enhance the T-CROSS class,” Volkswagen writes.
“From the very beginning, my goal was to shape the best version of the Volkswagen brand of all time,” Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, Head of the Brand Group Core and member of the Group Board of Management, stated. “The near-production concept car of the future ID. CROSS demonstrates that we are now truly delivering — with a new design, many technologies only seen in higher classes previously, improved operability and quality — and, at last, again the ‘right’ name. With this new Volkswagen generation, we are now delivering on our promises.”
Volkswagen EV Model Rollouts
The company also notes that this is the 4th small electric concept car Volkswagen has rolled out in the ID family, following the ID.2 all, the ID. GTI Concept (which is based on the ID.2 all), and the ID. EVERY1. The sixth and seventh models, the ID. Polo and the ID. Polo GTI, will be rolled out soon (early 2026).
The production-ready version of the ID. CROSS will be revealed in the summer of 2026, while a production version of the ID. EVERY1 will come in 2027.
ID. CROSS Concept Design
Back to the ID. CROSS Concept and its design, Volkswagen Head of Design Andreas Mindt adds: “We call our new design language ‘Pure Positive’. It is based on our three design cornerstones of stability, likeability and secret sauce; it will characterise every new Volkswagen in the future. We rely on a pure and powerful clarity, along with visual stability and a positive, likeable vehicle personality. The lines and powerful surfaces on the ID. CROSS Concept are pure and clear. They shape an SUV that is a trend setter not a trend follower and one that transfers the brand’s identity into the future.”
Volkswagen is convinced the ID. CROSS Concept has positive, upbeat vibes. “The ID. CROSS Concept’s positive personality is immediately recognisable in areas such as the front and rear. With their graphics and 3D light signature, they give the impression that the car is ‘smiling’,” the company writes.
“A Volkswagen must be likeable, unmistakable and inspire with its character. That’s why we deliberately evoke Volkswagen icons such as the Golf and the VW bus in the ID. CROSS Concept — on top, as a dash of ‘secret sauce’. This can be seen, for example, in the charismatic C-pillars and the completely straight window line,” Andreas Mindt adds. “Few volume brands in the world can draw on such a strong heritage. And that will always be in in our toolkit on our journey into the future.” If you say so Andreas. But perhaps that is true….
More details on the concept car can be found here.
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