BY WESLEY WREN | CarAndDriver.Com

Troy Warren for CNT

This upcoming EV will be the size of VW’s internal-combustion-engined Atlas.

Volkswagen’s Herbert Diess has confirmed that VW will roll out an ID.8 electric SUV.
The VW ID.8 will be comparable to the mid-size VW Atlas.
Details are minimal, but it’s expected to ride on the scalable MEB platform that underpins the rest of the Volkswagen EV lineup.

During a presentation on future plans, Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess confirmed that Volkswagen will introduce an Atlas-sized electric crossover under the ID banner. It was expected that Volkswagen would eventually release a mid-size crossover with a battery-electric powertrain, a move that will help further flesh out the Volkswagen battery-electric portfolio.

The Atlas made its debut only a few short years ago, in 2017, in an effort to capitalize on the growing demand for crossovers in the United States and abroad. That formula has easily translated to the growing battery-electric market, as buyers are gravitating toward crossovers even in the EV space. Volkswagen has been aggressively expanding its EV representation with new products across segments.

Right now, there’s nothing concrete released about the ID.8. It will more than likely ride on the Volkswagen MEB platform that underpins other electric VW products. And though nothing is known yet about expected range or output, a look at the production-ready ID.4 gives a sense of what Volkswagen is trying to do with its EV models. While considerably smaller, the ID.4 sports 250 miles of range and 201 horsepower.

VW also has yet to reveal a timeline for the ID.8’s debut—or confirm that the ID.8 will even be available in North America. With the continued demand for three-row crossovers in the U.S., it seems like an obvious move, though.