Volkswagen Debuts Fully Autonomous I.D. VIZZION Concept in Geneva [News]

Level 5 Autonomy is Here, with the unveiling of Volkswagen’s ID VIZZION concept in Geneva

Mark the year 2020 on your calendar. That’s the year Volkswagen plans on rolling out its I.D. family. Volkswagen’s latest reveal in the lineup joins the compact I.D., the I.D. CROZZ crossover, and the I.D. BUZZ microbus. The I.D. VIZZION sedan, pictured here, is coming by 2022.

It’s not just electrification that Volkswagen bestowed upon the I.D. VIZZION either. According to the company, this car will also (eventually) feature Level 5 autonomy as well. The “driver” can control the vehicle entirely using gestures and voice control, rather than the traditional controls we’re used to. It’s also purportedly capable of learning, thanks to artificial intelligence.

How does its AI system work? Volkswagen integrated a sort of interface which uses special eyewear, where you’re able to interact with the car’s digital chauffeur. Volkswagen’s planning to fully implement a Level 5 autonomous system by 2030. Until then, the best we’ll get is Level 4, where the car will still have a steering wheel and pedals.

Volkswagen plans to use a series of laser and radar systems in the I.D. VIZZION which will allow the car to read its surroundings. The car also uses cameras and compares all the data it gets with what’s stored in the cloud. It’s the company’s plan to move toward “swarm intelligence”, where cars communicate with the cloud and with each other. Think of it as a large, interconnected web, where all the cars are talking to each other. By doing that, they’ll be able to function without input from a human driver.

The I.D. VIZZION has greater than 400 miles of range, and it’s all-wheel drive

While the autonomous systems, with their radar sensors and laser scanners, may be difficult to understand, the propulsion isn’t so tomorrow’s world. It’s an electric car, so it has an 111 KWh lithium ion battery, hooked up to two electric motors. In the front, there’s a 101-horsepower motor. In the back, there’s another, 201 horsepower motor. That gets you 302 horsepower total, although Volkswagen has not disclosed the car’s weight. However, we do know that the I.D. VIZZION may achieve up to 413 miles of range on a single charge.

It’s bigger than you might think

Because it’s an electric car, the I.D. VIZZION’s proportions focus on maximizing interior space. As such, it has a long, 122.0-inch wheelbase – about a foot longer than a Passat. Overall, the current concept is 203.3 inches long, 76.7 inches wide and 59.3 inches tall. In other words, it’s about a foot longer, four inches wider, and an inch taller than the current generation Passat.

Apart from its size, the I.D. VIZZION also has suicide doors, at least in this concept version. The concept’s doors are also pillarless, which provides a totally open cabin. Since fully autonomous models won’t have traditional controls, there’s no dash either. Just an interface by which to interact with the car through your voice and gestures. You interact with the car through something called HOLOLENS, which is an augmented reality device developed by Microsoft. With it, you can use special eyewear to access the features of the car. It will even recognize the car’s occupants individually, and greet them accordingly.

Volkswagen is rolling out the I.D. VIZZION concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow on YouTube for more autonomous car news, views, and real-world reviews.

Volkswagen I.D. VIZZION gallery [Photos: Volkswagen]