The comeback of Volkswagen? 30 new cars, AI at the wheel and 1,000 km of range

Volkswagen is not playing around. After a few years watching Chinese brands such as BYD, NIO or XPeng steal the spotlight in its own Asian stronghold, the German giant from Wolfsburg has taken off its tie, put on its work overalls (digital, of course) and launched an offensive that smells like a declaration of war. The battlefield? China. The weaponry? 30 new models by 2027, 20 of them fully electric or with NEV technologies, loaded with artificial intelligence, designed to suit Chinese tastes and with unprecedented ambition. Welcome to the rebirth of Volkswagen.

The three new electric models: ID. ERA, ID. EVO and ID. AURA

During the Volkswagen Group Night, held as part of the Auto Shanghai show, the curtain was raised on the German brand’s next generation of electric cars in China. And mind you, what they have shown is more than conceptual design smoke: this is serious.

ID. ERA is the one that wants to break distances. Literally. This large SUV with three rows of seats combines electric propulsion with an extended-range generator. In numbers, more than 1,000 km of total range. Yes, you read that right. Who needs charging stops when your car can keep going and going?

ID. EVO, for its part, is the cool kid of the family. Designed for a young audience with one foot in technology and the other on Instagram, this SUV from the ID. UNYX line features an 800-volt platform, fast charging, OTA updates à la Tesla and a zonal electronic architecture that sounds as futuristic as its design.

And then there is the ID. AURA, aimed at those who want something compact, competitively priced, but without giving up the future. Built on the new CMP platform, designed ex profeso for the Chinese market, it offers an electric notchback with an AI brain, a smartphone-style interface and a digital assistant.

“2++” autonomous driving and a “made in China” future

The most interesting part? All these models aim for level 2++ automated driving. And yes, that “++” is not free. According to Volkswagen, under certain conditions these vehicles will be able to overtake you, turn, and even merge into traffic all by themselves, while you supervise with the face of someone who has seen this in Black Mirror.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen, made it clear with a damning line that could well be a political campaign headline:

“We have made all the necessary preparations to stay in pole position among foreign carmakers in China.”

And it is not pure marketing. With its new development centre in Hefei, Volkswagen has tuned into “Chinese speed”: models are developed in just 34 months, incredible times for the industry.

Furthermore, all the design, from the lines to the interfaces, has been conceived “in China, for China“. Because if Volkswagen has learned one thing, it is that competing with Chinese startups on their home turf requires more than German heritage and European promises.

A last attempt?

Volkswagen is clearly betting heavily on a future in which it does not want to be just a supporting player. It is saying: “Yes, we understand the game. And now we are here to win it.”

Will it succeed? Time will tell. But one thing is clear: if this were a race, Volkswagen has just floored the accelerator. And if the others don’t react, it may well slip past on the left with AI at the wheel and Schäfer raising his fist out of the window.