New Volkswagen EV sketches revealed

Volkswagen has revealed a series of sketches of its new electric vehicle ahead of its debut at the Paris motor show. The EV will be unveiled next week: A teaser - it comes as a five-door hatchback with sliding rear passenger doors. The images confirm that it gets futuristic lighting and a rear roofline which extends out beyond the tailgate. With no combustion engine to feed, the car's nose is short without a grille.

The model, which has been scheduled for release in 2019, will be capable of travelling between 402 and 483 km on a single charge, according to VW Group CEO Matthias Müller. The vehicle may take only 15 minutes to charge.

The man in charge of the project, Christian Senger, said a range of 402 km is adequate for everyday use. The car will also use a conventional, mainly steel, body. "Construction will be the same as today," said Senger. "There won’t be any radical body concepts."

In size, the EV will be similar to the brand's Golf hatchback sold internationally, but the benefits of the packaging of electric vehicles mean that the inside space is set to rival that of the larger Passat.

We know that the car will be packed with technology, including a 24-hour internet connection and a continuous link to a Volkswagen app store. A 'Volkswagen ID' will be specific to every driver, with their preferences and settings saved and applied to other cars, such as hire cars, that the driver may use.

The model will be the second of five electric Volkswagens, all developed as the brand looks to move away from fossil fuels following the Dieselgate emissions scandal. The follow-up models to the hatchback will be a crossover, a luxury saloon and a sports car. An MPV will come before the hatchback and will most likely be a production version of the Budd-e concept. Volkswagen's target is to sell one million fully-electric vehicles by 2025.