Electric hot hatchbacks are still not here as automakers prefer to prioritise SUVs over anything else. Renault toyed around with the idea of a go-faster EV hatch in 2017 with the bonkers Zoe E-Sport Concept featuring all-wheel drive courtesy of a dual-motor setup good for 460 bhp. The zero-emissions feisty supermini never made it to production, and we are hoping things will be different for the Volkswagen ID.X concept.
Unveiled by the CEO of Volkswagen's Passenger Cars division, the one-off follows the same formula used by the French and crams two electric motors while shedding a lot of weight over the normal ID.3. Ralf Brandstätter says it's 200 kilograms (441 pounds) lighter than the production model despite the addition of a front-mounted electric motor giving the ID.X an all-wheel-drive layout.
Gallery: This Is The VW ID.X, The Electric Hot Hatch
Using bits and pieces from the ID.4 GTX, the performance-oriented concept has a combined output of 329 bhp (245 kilowatts). It'’s a tad more powerful than other MEB-based compact offerings from the VW Group, including the ID.4 GTX, China's ID.6, along with the Audi Q4 E-Tron, and the Skoda Enyaq iV RS.
The extra electric motor helps the ID.X sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.3 seconds, which makes it a full two seconds quicker than the regular rear-wheel-drive ID.3. Ralf Brandstätter says the concept has been engineered with a drift mode, much like the latest-generation Golf R. Other changes include a lowered suspension setup, massive wheels with low-profile tyres, and neon accents inside and out.
Meet its SUV siblings:
Sadly, the ID.X will remain strictly a concept for the time being. The silver lining is Brandstätter says the company "will take up many ideas" and implement them in future production models. It is believed an ID.3 with dual motors and AWD will eventually happen, but it looks like it's going to take a while.
Source: Ralf Brandstätter / LinkedIn