ID.4

Make
Volkswagen
Segment
SUV

Since its debut in 2018, we've watched in awe as the 680-hp electric Volkswagen ID.R prototype race car continually smashed lap records at the Nurburgring, the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, and the Goodwood Hillclimb. To date, the ID.R has set five records on three continents, but Volkswagen Motorsport isn't stopping there.

Next month, the ID.R will attempt to set a new lap record at the Goodwood Motor Circuit during Goodwood SpeedWeek, a new closed-doors event replacing the canceled 2020 Goodwood Festival of Speed. While the ID.R used to break records has sported grey, blue and red liveries, the electric race car will feature a new blue and silver livery at Goodwood. According to VW, blue was chosen because it "serves as an identifying characteristic for Volkswagen Motorsport and Volkswagen R", while the Scale Silver was taken from the ID.3 hatchback's color palette. The ID.3 will also appear alongside the ID.R at Goodwood SpeedWeek.

The colors used for the design aren't the only aspects the two ID. models share, as both models also feature distinctive honeycomb elements. On the ID.3, honeycomb elements are applied to the front skirt and the C-pillars, while the ID.R features honeycombs in the Union Jack flag logo as a homage to Goodwood SpeedWeek.

A black roof is another common design trait in VW's ID. family. "On the ID.R, the film application stops at the shoulder line on the monocoque and only continues upward with an aluminum frame on the windshield, which is drawn into the side air intake like a C-pillar," said Marco Pavone, Head of Exterior Design Volkswagen. "That comes from the ID. family, primarily from the ID.3. This chrome accent is also to be found on the A-pillar, the roof frame rail, and the C-pillar. That is a feature common to all ID. models."

Creating a unique identity for the ID. family was an important objective for the design team, but incorporating elements from the ID.3 road car proved challenging due to the ID.R's aerodynamic design.

"The wheel arches on the ID.R stretch a long way up. The film must therefore be able to deal with a large deformation," Pavone explained. "The film is warmed during the application process to pull it over the shape. However, the film can only be stretched so far. If you overdo it, it could tear. If you were to print a design like the ID. honeycomb on the film and then deform this in a three-dimensional manner, the honeycomb structure would no longer appear correctly."

While the ID.R's new livery is no indication of a future road-going version of the electric race car, the ID. model lineup will soon be expanded with the US-bound Volkswagen ID.4 crossover.