World premiere in Beijing: with presentation of ID. CODE, Volkswagen gives a glimpse of the future of brand design in China

News from Volkswagen

An SUV that goes with the times: identification. CODE is quite slim and stylish. It is the first model in the world whose lines include the new Volkswagen SUV design
Designed for China: The ID is jointly designed by the Chinese and European teams. CODE is a tribute to Chinese Volkswagen customers
It is also independent: sensors, external structure and internal identification configuration. CODE was designed for level 4 autonomous driving
Light Cloud, 3D Eyes and Light Screen: Interactive lighting systems provide information and communicate intelligently with their surroundings.
The ideal travel companion: an AI-based avatar communicates with the driver and passengers via the external (Smart Window) and in-car displays.

Along with presentation of ID. At the world premiere of the CODE at Auto China 2024 in Beijing, Volkswagen previews a completely new generation of SUVs, a new design language and a new technological era. The concept car was developed specifically for Volkswagen customers in China. In identification. CODE, Volkswagen interprets the SUV model in a completely new way and reinforces the era of electric mobility with impressive high-level dynamics. With its highly defined and fluid faces, id. The CODE is more reminiscent of a Gran Turismo than an SUV in the five-meter category. The exterior is at the same time the projection surface for the latest generation lighting and visualization systems based on AI: intuitive interfaces for intellectual communication between man and machine. The newly designed passenger part of the ID is also relevant in this perspective. CODE, where the real and virtual worlds merge in a new mode of mobility. The electric drive concept car can be driven in normal mode with level 4 autonomous mode. CODE offers a more engaging experience than ever before: it interacts with the driver, passengers and the environment around them, turning life on board this Volkswagen into an experience brand new cars.

Designed by Volkswagen.
Body structure of ID. CODE, unusually defined and slim for an SUV, follows Volkswagen’s new design strategy. The strategy defined by Andreas Mindt is based on three pillars: consistency, friendliness and the secret ingredient provided by features and shapes that surprise and arouse interest. In the future, these three pillars will determine the design of Volkswagen worldwide. They are designed in such a way that Volkswagen’s Andreas Mindt Global Design team can respond specifically to the specific needs and regulations of large individual markets such as China. And that’s what happened with ID. MICHA. All three pillars of Volkswagen’s design strategy feature a new identity. MICHA.

Stability: a dynamic structure.
It is a combination of a car body, unusually thin and therefore sporty for an SUV, with very strong wheel arches that give it an identity. CODE surprisingly quiet on the road. The wheel arches frame the door surfaces, with their clean, irregular lines, becoming the main design element. This concept car also reinterprets the C-pillars of the first Golf: designed as D-pillars on the ID. PRINCIPLES, presents more stability, stability and playability from an aesthetic point of view.

Empathy: a different trait.
With a smile, ID. CODE presents itself to the viewer with its distinctive high-tech features and distinctive character. The designers bring out this charm through the golden ratio of the well-defined bodywork, perfectly designed with graphic features such as the friendly front-end configuration. The friendly theme is particularly visible thanks to interactive lighting systems, which provide identification. MIIA with Horizon Blue draws an intimate human touch.

Secret link: inspiration.
And identification. CODE Volkswagen presents a completely new SUV aesthetic. Quite novel is that, for the first time, designers use a thin body and fluid shapes for the technical basis of SUVs. And this in itself is a source of great inspiration. New interactive lighting systems reproduce the flicker of the human eye and represent that secret ingredient that brings the concept to life. Additionally, AI-based interactions enable a new level of communication between humans and machines.

Automated testing: level 4.
Identification. CODE was specially designed for level 4 automatic driving if the driver activates this mode, he becomes a passenger: he can read, talk, surf the internet, watch a movie or do anything else. To realize this automation task, Volkswagen has integrated sophisticated sensor, light, camera and imaging systems, which enable mutual communication with the surrounding environment. The systems and the car are not only equipped with a lithium-ion battery, but also with a photovoltaic system integrated into the transparent Energy Roof.

Interaction with the driver and the surrounding environment.
The concept car presented in Beijing is the first Volkswagen to communicate and fully interact with its environment by taking advantage of its exterior. Identification. CODE is actually not just a car, but can be considered as a digital sign that responds to other road users and provides its occupants with a lot of information and feedback. To do this, first the ID. The CODE has a great lighting system: the so-called Cloud of Light and interactive 3D Eyes (a light bar that crosses under the front bonnet) as well as an LED display integrated into the transparent front. When the driver or authorized user approaches, the systems are activated. Identification. CODE initiates a visual and audible welcome sequence and provides the driver and other passengers with an updated weather forecast for the next two hours. In the autonomous driving mode of the 4th level, the front light and rear light cross systems, also equipped with 3D-Eyes, interact with other road users, thus ensuring greater safety.

Car as an avatar: the best travel companion.
The sides present another novelty: the so-called Smart Windows are attached to the window surfaces, completely modified, with partially transparent displays. As soon as the driver approaches, the AI-based avatar appears on the front window display and immediately provides important information, reminding him, for example, to bring an umbrella if rain is forecast. The same avatar is also used in the cockpit, as an example of a co-pilot, who supports the driver and helps all passengers with all kinds of information.

mobile environment to be experienced.
The contents of the new ID. CODE welcomes passengers into a versatile, resort-style environment connected online, with amenities that make travel more fun and comfortable than ever before. High-quality, ecological and animal-free materials, as well as a high-quality sound system, ambient lighting and climate control ensure the comfort of private jet travel. The infotainment and control system is also newly developed. The avatar accompanies the driver and the passenger also in the passenger compartment, similar to what happens outside the car: the window surfaces become a digital stage of the avatar and other video signs. Another feature is that the comfortable seats can be adjusted to the driving mode, so during the 4th level of autonomous driving, for example, the steering wheel returns to the cockpit to allow additional space to be created by rotating the front seats by 180 degrees, so that passengers, for example family members, can sit facing each other to communicate effectively. Similarly, for long journeys it is possible to put the seats in a resting position. The interior of the ID. CODE thus becomes a new mobile environment to experience.

Bruno Allevi