The company is quiet about specifications, release dates or pricing, but says the production model will be its first EV destined for China. It’s not clear if the street-ready version of the SUV E:concept will be limited to China, however. While we wouldn’t expect a two-door version to reach many parts of the world, a four-door could be more appealing in an SUV-obsessed North America.

Honda has already committed to releasing two EVs in North America using GM’s platform for the 2024 model year. We wouldn’t count on them being directly related to this concept SUV, but it might hint at the design language for those future zero-emission rides.

Built on a steel frame, the ID.4 will initially be available as a 201 horsepower RWD with an estimated range of around 250 miles on a full charge of its 83 kWh battery pack. Later, in 2021, VW will begin offering a more powerful 302 horsepower, dual-motor AWD variant (though there’s no word yet on what it’s estimated range will be). Using the 11 kW onboard charger will net drivers around 33 miles of range in one hour, while using a level 1 or level 2 charger will fully refill the battery in around seven and a half hours. With a level 3 DC fast charger at your disposal, you can dump in roughly 75 percent of the battery’s capacity in just under 40 minutes. What’s more, VW has partnered with ElectrifyAmerica to offer three years of free automotive power injections at any of the company’s nationwide network of recharging stations.  

The ID.4 will be available in six colors with 19-inch aluminum alloy rims and black roof rails standard. Adding the $4,500 Statement package will net you a panoramic fixed-glass roof, LED projector headlights with VW’s Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), and power-folding side mirrors. If you care to splurge on the $1,500 Gradient package, you get 20-inch wheels and a black roof with silver roof rails and accents (though it’s only available in conjunction with the Statement package. 

VW

The vehicle’s interior offers 99.9 cubic feet of storage space as well as all of the fancy bells and whistles EV automakers are stuffing into their offerings these days. The instrument cluster has been replaced by a 5.3-inch digital display that’s navigated via tactile controls on the steering wheel. 

The infotainment system comes in the form of a 10-inch Discover Pro display that responds to touch, gesture (waving your hand) and voice commands. Opt for the Statement package and that display grows by two inches and adds SiriusXM compatibility. It also offers KESSY keyless access, wireless mobile charging, and Volkswagen Car-Net. This enables up to four devices to connect to the in-vehicle wifi at 4G speeds, assuming you spring for the data package subscription.  

The ID.4 will also carry the usual mix of ADAS enhancements as part of its branded IQ.DRIVE system. You’ll get forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking blind spot monitors, and adaptive cruise control with lane keeping among others.

Volkswagen

The ID.4 will also feature 30-color ambient lighting and a light strip below the windscreen that can signal drivers, say, when the vehicle’s drive system is active and when the car has been locked or unlocked. It will also signal braking prompts and incoming phone calls. Volkswagen has released a photo of its updated fob, as well, which has three buttons: two to lock and unlock the doors and one to open the trunk.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen’s ID.4 is second electric vehicle based on the automaker’s MEB platform, which will serve as the basis of of all its future EVs, after the ID.3. It’s also the first MEB-based EV to be available outside Europe and will be manufactured and released in China and the US. The company has already started ID.4’s production at its plant in Zwickau, Germany, while its plants in China and the US will start manufacturing the vehicle later this year and in 2022, respectively.

The other issue is “incorrect instrument panel control module software [that] can cause the instrument panel to not display critical information, such as engine oil pressure, speedometer, and gear selector position until the next ignition cycle,” according to the NHTSA. The latter issue affects 500,000 vehicles, including all of the above except for 2018 Honda Odyssey vans.

The recall is expected to start in September, and you’ll need to fix the first issue around the backup camera by taking your vehicle to a dealer for reprogramming. However, the second problem can be fixed either by a dealer or an over-the-air software update. Honda recalled some 232,000 Accords and Insights in 2018 over a similar backup camera issue.

GMC’s video promises we’ll see the Hummer EV this fall and be able to reserve one then, with production starting about a year later. In another section of the video, we see a pre-production model truck with the hood lifted, exposing a front trunk that should be easy to load, and will add to the capacity of that short bed.

GMC

The teaser also flashes text with some of the features we can expect, including the Ultium battery that GM is planning its future around. Accordingly, GM provided an update on progress of the plant in Lordstown, OH that it’s building as a joint venture with LG Chem, saying that it’s on schedule. Ultium Cells LLC will eventually produce batteries for the Hummer EV and Cadillac’s Lyriq, which will be unveiled next week on August 6th.

Other features include an infinity roof and sky panels, which again bring to mind the Bronco we just saw, as well as “super fast charging, nest gen Super Cruise, ultra vision cameras, crab mode and adrenaline mode.” We’ll probably find out what all of that means sometime in the next couple of months.

Opel

Elsewhere, there’s adaptive cruise control, stop and go assistance systems and an active lane positioning system, which automatically keeps the vehicle in the center of a lane. Lighting is glare-free and adaptive LED. Inside, it’s all about the brand’s new Pure Panel — a curved binnacle that links the digital instrument display and infotainment touchscreen. Standard tech includes Apple Carplay, Android Auto with integrated voice control, as well as the usual Vauxhall Connect service with live navigation data and emergency call functions.

It’s a bold reimaging of the original Mokka, but it also makes a bold statement about Vauxhall and Opel’s EV intentions. Opel announced back in 2018 that all of its models will be fully electric by 2024, and by giving launch preference to the Mokka-e, rather than the petrol and diesel versions, indicates that’s still very much on the company’s agenda. Prices haven’t been announced yet, but we can expect the Mokka-e to clock in at around £28,000 (about $35,000) when it arrives in early 2021.

You might not have to wonder what Volkswagen’s ID.4 looks like beneath zebra paint schemes and other forms of camouflage. EVPartner claims (via Electrek) to have photos from the electric crossover’s certification with Chinese regulators, showing what it should look like in production form. If it weren’t for the lack of a prominent front grille and the rear badging (which includes a “Crozz” sub-badge), you might not know you were looking at an EV. There are clues about launch models, too.

There will apparently be at least two launch models.. There will be options for silver C-pillar and roof trim, or to ride on 20-inch wheels instead of 19-inchers.

Fiat Chrysler hasn’t been very specific about its plans for all-electric vehicles, but it’s starting to open up. The company told Autocar (via Electrek) that its Alfa Romeo brand will release a small electric SUV sometime in 2022. A spokesperson didn’t share too many details, but the mini-ute “won’t be identical” in style to the Tonale hybrid SUV you see above. It’s expected to sit on a platform from Peugeot owner PSA (whose merger with FCA is still in progress), and the spokesperson suggested it would maintain Alfa’s blend of “sportiness” and “comfort.”

The small SUV space is a good place to start with an EV, according to the representative, noting that it offers the “best solution for range and usage.”

Despite its 2.6-ton weight, Dyson’s aluminum car could go from zero to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds (about half a second more than the long-range Model X), with its top speed apparently reaching 125 mph (30 mph shy of the Model X’s). This is all coming from the twin 200kW electric motors rated with 536 bhp and 480 lb ft of torque. And yes, Dyson himself had driven the prototype, albeit “secretly in a screened-off compound.”

Dyson

In real life, the prototype car shared a strong resemblance to a modern Range Rover — more so than the patent diagrams suggested. The sporty-looking SUV was said to come in at “five metres long, two metres wide and 1.7 metres tall,” featuring a windscreen which “rakes back more steeply than on a Ferrari,” as well as wheels that “are bigger than on any production car on the market,” according to Dyson.

The Times also got to see the electric SUV’s interior, which reminds me of some of the futuristic concepts at car shows. Most notably, the surprisingly slim seats featured segmented cushions and lollipop-shaped headrests designed in such a way that, according to Dyson, would provide better lumbar support overall. And for the driver, the dashboard was kept clean by utilizing a head-up display, such that it “floats in front of your face like a hologram.”

It goes without saying that many of these features were rather ambitious for an electric car, let alone the project itself for a company that’s more familiar with household electrical goods and, more recently, haircare products. As the owner of the company, Dyson told The Times that this project ended up costing £500 million of his own money before he put a stop to it. Unlike other traditional car brands, Dyson doesn’t have a fleet of profitable gasoline cars and diesel cars to offset the “huge losses” on every electric vehicle made — each Dyson electric car would have needed to make £150,000 to break even, according to the entrepreneur. While Tesla did post a profitable first quarter this year, it has been posting annual losses ever since it went public.

Even though the Dyson car is no more, its spirit lives on. Dyson said the 500-strong team are already working on various other projects, and that he is open to the idea of letting car makers tap into his company’s solid-state batteries, which are supposedly more efficient and compact than current lithium ion cells. As to whether the company would try making cars again some day, Dyson said only if it becomes commercially viable then. You can read more about the doomed Dyson electric car in The Times’ exclusive interview (subscription required).

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to another car cancellation: Lincoln’s Rivian-based electric SUV. After a report in Automotive News, Lincoln has confirmed to Autoblog that the EV has been scrapped due to the “current environment.” The pandemic, in other words. The two are sticking to their overall commitment and an “alternative vehicle” based on Rivian’s platform, but that initial project is no more.

Lincoln also said it planned to make an EV “consistent with its Quiet Flight DNA,” but didn’t share more details. It wouldn’t be surprising if the brand based a vehicle on parent company Ford’s Mustang Mach-E or the electric F-150, but it’s clearly too soon to know where Lincoln is going.