Story and photos by Tet Andolong
Known as one of the biggest and most popular car shows in the world, the 18thInternational Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2019) opened its doors at the National Shanghai Center for Exhibition and Convention (NECC), which will run until April 25.
The NECC is currently the largest exhibition complex with 5,400,000-sq ft. of exhibit hall floor area—making it one of the landmark buildings in Shanghai. The center consists of four exhibition halls in which Volkswagen China displayed their vehicles in two of the halls and revealed the world première of ID. ROOMZZ.
The Volkswagen ID. ROOMZZ is zero-emission SUV with three rows of seats that will be released around the world in 2021. ID. ROOMZZ1 is the sixth model in the ID. family after ID.1, ID. CROZZ1, ID. BUZZ1, ID. VIZZION1 and ID. BUGGY1.
ID. ROOMZZ combines the effort-less charisma of an SUV with smart Volkswagen e-mobility de-sign. The SUV’s bodywork adopts the clear, homogeneous lines of the rest of the ID. family. At the same time, the team led by Volkswagen head designer Klaus Bischoff has given the ID. ROOMZZ all the personality it needs. The concept car breaks new ground in the large SUV segment thanks to its many practical details. The seamless transitions between individual bodywork parts and levels are an important, unique selling point; the precise, refined design results in perfect aerodynamics and provides a homogeneous, clear view of all areas.
“This SUV is a monolith, appearing to be seamlessly machined from solid metal. The ID. ROOMZZ effortlessly moves around using the power of electricity silently and without emissions. In addition, the design features an extremely powerful, stylish dynamic. The front and rear shoulders in the bodywork are particularly striking, as they are created by two notably muscular and precise sections above the wings,” said Bischoff.
The concept car is designed with a new interior and seating concept. “The ID. ROOMZZ shows us what we can expect from full-size electric SUVs in the future. The pu-ristic look emphasizes the clear function and the user experience is intuitive and natural,” said Bischoff. The vehicle interior also provides a new spectrum of variability and customizability, ensuring that both the seating options and the driving mode meet the personal requirements of the passengers and driver.
The ID. ROOMZZ combines its IQ.DRIVE systems, enabling the concept car to navigate traffic all by itself (fully automated) as desired. Volkswagen is consolidating all assistance systems and technologies involved in autonomous driving under the umbrella brand IQ.DRIVE. It is simple to switch from the manual “ID. Drive” mode to the fully automated “ID. Pilot” mode. All the driver has to do is place their hand on the VW logo on the steering wheel for at least five seconds—from this moment on, the computer of the ID. ROOMZZ assumes control of the vehicle.
The new “IQ. steering system” developed by Volkswagen engineers disconnects the steering column, moves the steering wheel to its off-position and thereby provides more space in the cockpit area. When the driver wants to reassume control, they again press on the VW logo. The steering wheel now moves out again and is synchronized with the position of the wheels.
The Volkswagen display consists of Generation SUV; electric cars including an electric sports car; and the Next Generation. Vehicles that were also on the exhibit were the all-new Polo, Jetta, Beetle, Lavida, Santana, Lamando, Golf, e-Golf, Passat, Passat PHEV, Sagitar, Teramont, Tiguan, T-Cross, Tayron, Tharu, Touareg and the T-Roc.
According to the newly appointed president Felipe Estrella III of Volkswagen Philippines, two new vehicles will be launched in the country within 12 months but he wouldn’t reveal it yet. In an interview with Estrella in Shanghai, he gave me a clue. He said, “The two vehicles that will be launched in Manila both start with a letter T.”#