Volvo, perhaps the leading supplier of station wagons, station wagons, shooting brakes or whatever you want to call it, sent waves across the automotive landscape earlier this year when it declared that it would discontinue all its sedan and station wagon offerings to focus solely on the car to concentrate. on SUVs.
But what if you don’t want the raised ride height of an SUV? What if you love the elongated proportions of an old-fashioned station wagon? Well, Volkswagen has your back as it has said it will provide a spacious boot in the form of the ID.7 Tourer coming to market next year.
The ID.7 Tourer is quite heavily camouflaged in the images Volkswagen is now ready to reveal, but the company says it offers 545 liters (19.2 cu ft) of storage space if five people are strapped in, or a massive 1,714 liters (60.5 cu ft) when the rear seat is folded flat.
Performance and electric range are yet to be confirmed, but we know the Tourer will be based on the ID.7 sedan, which itself achieves a range of 450 miles on a single charge when fitted with the larger 86 kWh battery.
VW also says that the camouflage wrap used to disguise the styling is based on the ID.7 sedan’s multi-layer paint. But cleverly there are QR codes on the rear that blend seamlessly into the upholstery – presumably so passersby can get extra information about the upcoming model.
Big boots to fill
The news about the upcoming VW ID.7 Tourer is music to the ears of anyone who wants lots of storage space, without the hulking frame of an SUV. With many EV makers playing it safe with body styles, the elongated ID.7 could be the additional choice that convinces some potential buyers.
In addition, BMW has confirmed it will add an i5 Touring model to its electric line-up, with indications that a fiery M-Division model could become the powerful all-electric estate many dream of.
Could this mean that Audi will also try to catch up with an RS6 e-tron? We can only keep our toes and fingers crossed. And hey, maybe even Volvo will make an about-face after its decision to walk away from perhaps one of its most iconic body styles.