Volkswagen will begin its electric vehicle onslaught early next year with the I.D. hatchback, said to closely resemble the slick concept. The I.D. family will then expand to include a sedan, crossover and a minibus,all of which have already been shown as concepts.

According to AutoGuide, the German automaker has just filed a trademark application for the name I.D. Light. Really, that's the name, and it was filed with the EUIPO. No word yet whether it will be filed in the US. Interestingly, the application was filed under classifications to automobiles and lighting apparatuses, along with tools like flashlights and microphones.

In other words, I.D. Light likely won't be the name of an actual vehicle but rather some sort of exterior or interior lighting aid that will be used on future I.D. electric vehicles. In addition, the automaker also trademarked names such as 'Interactive Light,' 'Active Light' and 'Intelligent Light'.

Advanced lighting methods are nothing new for VW. For example, there's the Matrix LED IQ.Light system found on the redesigned 2018 Touareg, which isn't sold in the US. This system is actually really cool, consisting of 256 LED lights and 30,000 pixels per headlamp, illuminating the road up to 1,640 feet ahead. The system is connected to a camera that scans the road ahead and will then adjust brightness as needed. If a lane widens, for example, the lights will adjust to illuminate dark areas. It will also automatically dim the high beams if incoming traffic is detected.

It's clear VW is not only about to embrace EV technologies, but also a variety of tech that will translate to new features for this new era of vehicles. Remember, fully autonomous vehicles are not too far off, and VW is preparing accordingly.