The new Volkswagen ID.7 has been revealed at CES 2023 (Credit: VW)
Volkswagen has revealed the next vehicle in its ID line-up of electric vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week.
The German automaker gave very little away at the show, taking place right now in Las Vegas, but we do have some nuggets of information.
The upcoming ID.7 electric sedan is expected to arrive with a 700km (435 mile) range that’ll give Tesla a run for its money.
We also know the car will be fitted with an augmented reality heads-up display, a 15-inch central infotainment screen and digitally controlled air vents. These can be personalised to each passenger and will apparently respond to both voice commands and illuminated touchscreen sliders.
And, as for that rather eye-catching orange-and-black finish – well, that’s something special too.
The unique paintwork isn’t just eye-catching, it’s high-tech too (Credit: VW)
The camouflaged sedan features a digital design with unique paintwork, capable of lighting up the ID.7 interactively. According to the company, 40 layers of paint have been applied, of which some are conductive while others have insulating properties.
A total of 22 areas of the vehicle can be controlled separately and are electrified below the top layer of paint (electroluminescence) so that they light up.
Even better: If all this is connected to a sound system, the rhythm is visualized by illumination of individual areas.
VW says the QR codes on the hood and on both sides ‘provide an interface between the physical and digital worlds.’ Which means, basically, authorised users can somehow alter the paint job by scanning the car with their phones.
This isn’t as mad an idea as you’d thing: BMW revealed something similar at last year’s CES.
Scanning the QR code will let you change the car’s paintwork (Credit: VW)
‘With its ID.7 sedan, Volkswagen is expanding its successful fully electric ID. family into the upper middle class of the high-volume segment and advancing its electric mobility campaign with the ACCELERATE strategy,’ the company said in a press release.
‘VW has already reached a first milestone: Since the first ID.3 models were handed over to customers in September 2020, Volkswagen has delivered 500,000 vehicles from its ID. family worldwide through its subsidiaries – around one year earlier than planned and despite the ongoing difficulties in the supply chain.’
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The German automaker is adding a new vehicle to its ID family.