Volkswagen's first ID brand electric car for the US will be an SUV but the automaker said a sedan (aka saloon) is also coming.

The automaker is presenting three future models at the Los Angeles show – the compact ID, the Buzz and the elegant Crozz SUV. They will be built on a completely new vehicle architecture designed for electric drive systems and promise a range of 400km-600km at a comparable price to a diesel model.

By 2025 the brand plans to sell a million electric vehicles a year and wants to be the market leader in 'electric mobility'. The first ID model for Europe will be the compact model, the US will see an SUV first.

Sales chief Jurgen Stackmann said: "The mistakes of the past have speeded up many things and a real opportunity arises from the [dieselgate] crisis. We believe in electric mobility and in a great future for the automobile. It is the most important means of transport in the US, accounting for almost 80% of passenger kilometres travelled."

E-mobility chief Christian Senger said the compact EV "…has the exterior dimensions of a Golf, but offers as much interior space as a Passat".

This is due to a space-saving axially parallel e-drive and the high-voltage battery housed in the vehicle floor. This also applies to all other body shapes: "The all electric architecture enables all kinds of different vehicle types to be developed, from the compact class to a seven-seater SUV."

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All models have electric drive as a common feature plus new connectivity. Instead of a large number of control units, in future the vehicle electrical system will have powerful central board computers with central software that can always be updated and upgraded. This is the basis for new digital in-car services that enhance everyday driving.

"The technological innovations we are currently working on will further increase the potential of the automobile", said Stackmann. "As well as a highly attractive design and numerous ways of meeting individual customer requirements, we will do everything we can to meet the growing demands that people make on sustainable mobility."

In a joint project with the US software group Adobe, potential customers are targeted in social networks and will then find information on the ID generation customised according to their profiles on a new VW internet portal.

Stackmann said: "We are cooperating with Microsoft here: augmented reality allows us to present the new car virtually in space or in a particular place with the help of HoloLens glasses, for example in cafes and shopping malls."

Further cooperation between Volkswagen and an IT group concerns infotainment developed with IBM called Predictive We Services. The basis for this is the digital assistant Watson who researches possible intermediate destinations for shopping or dinner online and is also able to make bookings with voice command during the journey.