ATV Industry Facts: Did You Know?

2-seater, all electric and ready to play.

The off-road segment is a highly lucrative market so it comes as no surprise to us that manufacturers are constantly trying to develop a vehicle that can appeal to off-roaders. The latest trend, however, is combining street legality with off-road capabilities since nobody likes loading up their machines to be trailered to the trailhead.

The latest company to dip their toe (back) into the pond? Volkswagen! Drawing inspiration from the classic Californian dune buggy designs of the 1960s, the Volkswagen ID. Buggy concept was shown for the first time in North America at the New York International Auto Show.

With a minimalistic design with no roof, no doors and a weatherproof interior, the 2-seater shows the versatility of the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) and puts the fun in functional. The MEB chassis integrates a 62kWh lithium-ion battery into the floor and a 201-horsepower electric motor in the rear to give it an expected range of 155 miles on the WLTP cycle.

Bonus Fact: As an alternative to the rear-wheel-drive layout, it is also possible to fit a second electric motor in the front axle of the ID. Buggy. In this case, an “electric propshaft” would distribute the power of the 4Motion four-wheel drive between the front and rear axles in fractions of a second.