Volkswagen’s next electric SUV has an ingenious solution to eliminate driver distraction

Volkswagen has given a glimpse of its first compact electric crossover arriving in showrooms next year – and it has an ingenious feature to eliminate driver distraction.

The ID.Cross EV concept has made its official debut in Munich as a preview to the model of the same name debuting in summer 2026.

It will be sold alongside the existing petrol T-Cross, which in recent years has become one of the German car giant’s most popular vehicles. 

In fact, records show that it’s Europe’s fourth best-selling model in the opening six months of this year with 106,118 registrations, some 2,000 more than the Golf.

The ID.Cross will be underpinned by the same platform used for the new ID.Polo electric supermini also launching next year, and will offer an official range in the region of 260 miles.

While promising compact dimensions to easily fit into parking spaces but also class-leading cabin room and boot space, arguably the ID.Cross’ best feature of all is one that could help provide a welcome boost to road safety.

Volkswagen’s forthcoming ID.Cross could have an ingenious feature to eliminate driver distraction…

Design ‘secret sauce’ and a ‘smiling face’ 

VW executives have confirmed the production-ready electric crossover won’t be officially revealed until summer 2026. However, it will very closely resemble the concept shown today.

This includes what VW says is a ‘Pure Positive’ new design language that is set to characterise future models from the car firm.

Head of design, Andreas Mindt, says this is based on three design cornerstones, which are ‘stability, likability and secret sauce’. Essentially, this means unique styling trademarks that will instantly be recognisable as VW’s for the future.

This includes its 3D light signature, which for the headlight cluster of ID.Cross bows slightly to form ‘the impression that the car is smiling;’ Mindt explains.

In terms of ‘secret sauce’ hallmarks, the three strakes in the C-pillars and the completely straight window lines are traits to set VWs apart from the crowd.

One element that won’t be retained are the 21-inch ‘Balboa’ wheels. These were designed in collaboration with tyre provider Goodyear, with the striped detailing on the spokes replicated on the sidewall of the rubber. 

VW executives have confirmed the production-ready ID.Cross will officially be revealed in summer 2026. However, it will very closely resemble the concept shown today

ID.Cross (right) will be sold alongside the existing petrol T-Cross (left), which in recent years has become one of the German car giant’s most popular vehicles. In fact, records show that it’s Europe’s fourth best-selling model in the opening six months of this year

Head of design, Andreas Mindt, says this is based on three design cornerstones, which are ‘stability, likability and secret sauce’. Essentially, this means unique styling trademarks that will instantly be recognisable as VW’s for the future

Among the trademark design cues is the new 3D light signature, front and back. For the headlight cluster of ID.Cross bows slightly to form ‘the impression that the car is smiling,’ its design boss said

One element that won’t be retained are the 21-inch ‘Balboa’ wheels. These were designed in collaboration with tyre provider Goodyear, with the striped detailing on the spokes replicated on the sidewall of the rubber

Finally, a new car that’s NOT getting bigger 

Buried beneath the new bodywork is a ‘newly-developed, state-of-the-art drivetrain system’.

This composes two e-motors in the front axle producing 208bhp, with energy provided by a high-voltage battery of undisclosed size. 

However, VW has confirmed the cells will be sandwiched into the floor of the ID.Cross, which explains why it should feel roomier than the combustion engine T-Cross despite sharing similar external dimensions.

At 4,161mm long and 1,938mm wide, the car maker says it will ‘fit into any parking space’ with ease.

However, it’s the 1,588mm high and 2,601mm wheelbase that are the vital proportions here, as this will deliver unrivalled interior space that will better that of the petrol equivalent.

VW says it is a genuine five-seater that should be ‘suitable for families and friends, which also handles longer journeys with ease’ – including hauling all their luggage.

With a 450-litre boot, there’s more carrying capacity than most rivals, including 50 litres more than Skoda’s Kamiq and 45 more than the Audi Q2. 

And the charging cable also won’t encroach on this available space because there’s a 25-litre storage compartment under the bonnet too.

As such, the 475 litres of space on offer technically gazumps the current T-Cross’ 455-litre boot. 

The cabin, while more minimalist than what will form the interior of the production car, highlights a number of cues that will be carried forward by VW, including this new steering wheel design

The ID.Cross is set to feature ‘calm status’ mode, which could have a huge positive impact on reducing driver distraction…

When the driver places their phone onto the charging pad facing down – as someone would with their device in a restaurant to prevent the appearance of notifications – both the instrument cluster and infotainment display go dark and show only vital information, like the car’s speed

The clever feature to eliminate driver distraction 

The cabin, while more minimalist than what will form the interior of the production car, highlights a number of cues that will be carried forward by VW.

A new two-spoke steering wheel design could become a focal point for future models. 

It features a squared-off rim and clearly designated buttons as the manufacturer continues to distance itself from the haptic controls and switches that owners hated in the pre-facelift Mk8 Golf and other recent Volkswagen cars.

The lower section of the dashboard, door inserts and seats are all cloaked in the same sustainable ‘Vanilla Chai’ cloth material, though this is unlikely to be the case for the showroom-ready version.

Yet, one feature that is more likely to be carried over is the ‘calm status’ mode, which could have a huge positive impact on reducing driver distraction.

Inspired by smartphones, this utilises a very simple process to restrict the volume of information displayed on both the 11-inch digital instrument cluster and 13-inch high-definition infotainment screen.

When a driver places their phone onto the charging pad facing down – as someone would with their device in a restaurant to prevent the appearance of notifications – both displays go dark, providing only the essential information.

At this moment, the driver’s cluster will simply show the vehicle’s speed, while all widgets are removed from the central display.

With car makers being ordered by safety bodies to simplify their cabin designs and rid dashboards of distracting controls and features, the option to easily put the car into a basic setting will be welcomed by organisations as well as customers. 

There too is a ‘Me time’ relax setting, which is unique to the ID.Cross.

With the back of the seats covered in a plush material, when all five are folded flat they provide a flush area Volkswagen says is ‘reminiscent of a yoga mat’. 

We expect this feature to be reserved for this concept vehicle only, though.

The lower section of the dashboard, door inserts and seats are all cloaked in the same sustainable ‘Vanilla Chai’ cloth material, though this is unlikely to be the case for the showroom-ready version

There too is a ‘Me time’ relax setting. With the back of the seats covered in a plush material, when all five are folded flat they provide a flush area Volkswagen says is ‘reminiscent of a yoga mat’

The ID.Cross will arrive in summer 2026, following the reveal of the new ID.Polo (right) and ID.Polo GTI (left), which will be revealed earlier next year. VW confirmed this week that it has ditched its numbered naming structure for its future ‘ID’ family EVs and instead uses its more traditional nameplates

Commenting on the ID.Cross Concept, CEO Thomas Schafer referenced VW’s recently-confirmed decision to ditch the numbered naming structure for its ‘ID’ electric models, instead carrying over the current name used for its internal combustion engine line-up.

‘From the very beginning, my goal was to shape the vest version of the Volkswagen brand of all time,’ he said.

‘The near-production concept car of the ID.Cross demonstrates that we are now truly delivering – with a new design, many technologies seen in higher classes previously, improved operability and quality – and, at last, again the ‘right’ name’.

‘With this new Volkswagen generation, we are now delivering on our promises.’ 

While the ID.Cross’ arrival has been confirmed for next summer, there’s no indication yet on pricing. 

However, in order to remain competitive, it will need to ring in well below £30,000 if it is to compete with rivals, especially those emerging from China.