Volkswagen has revealed its plans for a new electric-powered luxury saloon that is set to join its line-up as an indirect replacement for the discontinued Phaeton with the unveiling of the bold I.D. Vizzion concept at the 2018 Geneva motor show.

Previewing the fourth in what officials at its Wolfsburg headquarters in Germany have confirmed to Autocar will be a series of five new I.D. production models already granted a green light by its chairman Mathias Mueller, the four-wheel drive I.D. Vizzion has been conceived to sit at the very top of the German car maker’s line-up, featuring limousine-like exterior dimensions, a plush leather-lined interior and, in a pointer to the technical details of the upcoming showroom version of the new car, a combined 302bhp and an electric range of 413 miles (664 kms).

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Set to go on sale in the UK in 2021, the big saloon forms an integral part of Volkswagen’s £10 billion (1000 crores) Strategy 2025 electric car program. It will join production versions of the I.D. Hatchback, I.D. Crozz and I.D. Buzz and a yet to be revealed seven-seat SUV in an extended line-up of electric powered models aimed at establishing Volkswagen as a leading player in the electric car ranks.

Hinting that the latest Volkswagen concept, which uses a twin motor driveline similar to the I.D. Crozz and I.D. Buzz, is more than mere fantasy, Volkswagen says its latest concept mirrors how it imagines an electric powered luxury class model could appear in the future.

“It transfers the characteristic design elements established on other I.D. models to a large saloon. Status is achieved through the intelligent use of space that provides for more interior accommodation than with conventional combustion engine limousines,” says Klaus Bischoff, head of Volkswagen brand design.

In a double role, the I.D. Vizzion also serves to showcase Level 5 autonomous driving, self-learning, hologram-based interior control and augmented reality technology that Volkswagen says it is developing and expects to incorporate on its models from 2030.

Among its hi-tech arsenal are LIDAR laser scanners, ultra-sound sensors, radar sensors as well as a series of cameras at the front, rear and sides. A further central component in Volkswagen’s vision for the future of production cars is an artificial intelligence system that goes beyond the model-based programming of today’s driver assistance systems and the machine learning capability of systems touted to be introduced within the next five years by providing fully independent decision making processes that allows it to drive exclusively without human input.

Volkswagen says it predicts that both Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving functions will be a reality by 2025, suggesting fully hands-off driving will arrive faster than currently expected.  

Although the new concept car on display in Geneva goes without a steering wheel in a preview of Volkswagen’s plans to introduce fully autonomous driving capability to its production models by the end of next decade in a four-seat interior described as a lounge on wheels, the new saloon is planned to be launched with a more conventional control layout similar to that of other first-generation I.D. models.

“It’s our intention to launch the car with a steering wheel,” says Bischoff. "Although we are already thinking about the next step and that is full autonomous capability where the steering wheel will become superfluous.”  

The dimensions of the I.D. Vizzion back up Volkswagen's claims that it previews a new range-topping model. At 5163mm in length, 1947mm in width and 1506mm in height, it is 16mm shorter but 39mm wider and 56mm higher than the long wheelbase Phaeton, Volkswagen’s long-running range-topping saloon that ceased production in 2016.

The basis for the big one-box luxury car is Volkswagen’s MEB (modularen elektrik baukasten or modular electric architecture) platform. It has been tailored to the requirements of the I.D. Vizzion with a wheelbase of 3100mm – some 199mm shorter than that of the I.D. Buzz.

Powering the latest I.D. concept are two individual electric motors – one delivering 101bhp up front where it drives the front wheels and the other with 201bhp sited at the rear powering the rear wheels. Sourced from a modular range of in-house produced electric motors that Volkswagen says will power the entire I.D. line-up, they provide the Vizzion with an overall system output of 302bhp, with drive channelled directly to each axle and, subsequently, all four wheels.

Although no weight figure has been revealed, computer simulations carried out by Volkswagen point to a 0-100km/h time of 6.3sec – a time that roughly compares to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine powered Passat. The German car maker also provides a theoretical (limited) top speed of 180km/h.   

Energy used to run the electric motors is stowed in a large 111kWh lithium-ion battery, which is mounted within a flat floor structure to keep the centre of gravity of the big luxury car comparatively low and its weight distribution at a near perfect 50:50 split front-to-rear. All up, it is claimed to provide a range of up to 413 miles (664 km)– some 227 miles (365 km) more than today’s eGolf, which receives a 204bhp electric motor and 48kWh lithium-ion battery.