In the world of the automotive business, it is rare for a current leader to make such a sharp and frank admission about his own products. The CEO of the Volkswagen brand, Thomas Schaefer, literally “blows up“ the media space, declaring the ID.3 and ID.4 models a deviation from the traditions of the German giant. In front of European journalists, he did not spare criticism, calling them “not true representatives of the brand“.
It seems that the era of experiments in search of futurism at the expense of functionality is ending with a serious sprinkling of ashes on the head. Schaefer admitted that the mistakes made by the previous management led to an outflow of loyal customers and now the company is in the mode of “urgent correction“ of course.
The main stumbling block that infuriated fans and forced Schaefer to take a firm stand was interior minimalism. The attempt to replace physical buttons with capricious touch panels and software submenus turned into a real ergonomic fiasco. Wow, what a surprise! It turned out that drivers still prefer the tangible “click” of the button to the smooth glass, especially when it comes to controlling the air conditioning or volume on the go.
The new strategy, led by technology director Kai Grünitz, provides for a complete return to common sense. Expect convenient physical switches to reappear in the cabins of future models. In addition, Volkswagen plans to consign retractable door handles to history, which turned out to be more of an unnecessary luxury than a practical convenience.
ID.4 becomes ID.Tiguan
Perhaps the biggest change, however, lies in the name itself. Thomas Schaefer admitted that abstract digital designations have failed to touch people's hearts in the same way as familiar and beloved emblems. A large-scale plan is underway to revive the nomenclature that has built the brand's image for decades.
It's official - the next generation of the electric crossover will no longer bear the impersonal name ID.4. Instead, it will be presented as the Volkswagen ID.Tiguan. With this move, the company is trying to transfer the trust and prestige of its best-selling models with internal combustion engines to the new electric era.
This sudden change of direction is a clear signal: Volkswagen is listening to the voice of the consumer. Despite huge investments in digitalization, the company learned the hard way that innovation should not kill identity. The way forward lies in a symbiosis between modern drivetrain and the classic sense of quality that made the “people's car“ a world leader.