meb

Volkswagen is looking to fortify its electric assault with the addition of two smaller models in the ID range – the ID.1 and ID.2, as reported by Car. The models will be built on familiar, scalable MEB electric architecture – the same seen in the larger ID.3 and ID.4, however costs will be brought down by reducing features and driving range. “We can shrink the MEB architecture with less content to get the cost down,” Volkswagen brand chief Ralf Brandstätter told Car.

After a meeting of the Volkswagen Group's supervisory board late last week, the automaker confirmed it was increasing its average annual spend on developing electric, hybrid and digital technologies by around 36 per cent from €8.8 billion ($14.3 billion) to €12 billion ($19.5 billion). As part of Volkswagen's latest five-year plan, it will increase spending on EV development to €6.6 billion ($10.7 billion) annually.

There's been talk for ages about the current Audi TT sports car morphing into a four-door vehicle of some sort to compete in higher-volume segments – now, it looks like that car could be a sporty EV crossover. Britain's Auto Express claims it can confirm "Audi's bosses have finally settled on a proposal for the next-generation TT", which will transform the slow-selling coupe and roadster into an all-electric compact crossover with more sporting intentions.

Photographers have snapped the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Crozz during development testing in Europe, ahead of its global market launch sometime during 2020. Where the ID.3 hatchback will be around the same size as a Golf, the ID. Crozz is said to be similar in physical dimensions to the popular Tiguan – slotting somewhere between the TIguan and Tiguan Allspace.

Audi will commence production of its new EV based on the Q4 e-tron concept later this year, with new reports claiming some output of all-electric crossover will come from China. Industry journal Automotive News Europe cites Chinese news website Sina.com, saying the Q4 e-tron – or whatever the market version is called – will be the first Audi model to be built at the SAIC-VW joint-venture's EV factory in Shanghai.