The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first fully electrically driven SUV. The ID.4 will be the first vehicle in the world’s largest market segment, the compact SUV category, to offer climate-neutral production and operation. Just like the compact ID.3, it is based on the Group’s scalable, modular electric drive matrix (MEB), boasting all the strong properties of the ID. family: compact dimensions, spacious interior, sporty character, intuitive operation and full connectivity.
The Volkswagen brand’s strategic electric offensive has thus been launched successfully. According to the latest plans, up to 1.5 million electric vehicles are to be produced as early as 2025—significantly more than had previously been planned.
ID.4
In the heart of the world’s most popular market segment, the ID.4 will be launched in Europe in 2020. It is the second vehicle to use the Group’s modular electric drive architecture (MEB), following the compact ID.3.
The name is revealing: the ID. abbreviation stands for intelligent design, identity and visionary technologies and the number 4 identifies the new model as a representative of the compact SUV segment.
The ID.4’s aerodynamically refined exterior perfectly sets the stage for the MEB’s revolutionary architecture: the vehicle’s front end is short and the wheelbase long, giving superlative space on the inside. The driver and passengers in the ID.4 take a seat in the Open Space, the airy and bright vehicle interior.
A host of modular drive components is available for the ID.4—initially with rear-wheel drive and later with a powerful, electric all-wheel-drive variant. The high-voltage battery is always installed under the passenger cell to guarantee the vehicle’s low center of gravity and a well-balanced weight distribution. Ranges of up to 500 kilometers (WLTP) are possible depending on the drivetrain package.
The cockpit of the ID.4 has been clearly structured and it is almost completely controlled by touch functions or intelligent Natural Voice control. Volkswagen’s first all-electric SUV offers high levels of safety technologies and full connectivity.
The ID.4 is the world’s first climate-neutral, compact SUV. The vehicle, which is produced at the Zwickau plant, is carbon-neutral along the entire value chain. Volkswagen’s comprehensive charging offering also makes it possible for customers to recharge the ID.4 with renewable energy.
ID.3
Production of the ID.3 started in late 2019 and the vehicle is a pioneer of a new era of mobility at Volkswagen—intelligent, innovative and sustainable. The radically new design involves pioneering technologies. The ID.3 combines all the strengths of the modular electric drive matrix in a vehicle length of just 167.7 inches (4.26 meters), offering plenty of space inside, with an intuitive and simple operating concept. The high-voltage battery has been installed low down in the underbody, ensuring agile and nimble handling.
The long wheelbase of the modular electric drive matrix and the very short overhangs result in a strikingly large vehicle interior, with the Open Space setting new benchmarks in the compact vehicle category. Digital displays and controls make it easy to get your bearings behind the wheel. The ID. Light—an LED strip in the cockpit—visually communicates with passengers. The ID.3 is almost exclusively operated using touch- sensitive buttons and surfaces or the intelligent Natural Voice control. Wireless App- Connect allows the vehicle to be connected to the user’s smartphone, so the We Connect app can then be used to control charging or pre-entry climate control, for example.
Pre-booking for the ID.3 1ST started in spring 2019. Volkswagen has now received more than 37,000 reservations for the launch edition, limited to 30,000 units.
Beyond the ID.3 1st, customers can now choose from three variants—ID.3 Pure, ID.3 Pro and ID.3 Pro S. The variants differ mainly with respect to power output and battery capacity, range and charging capacity. As the top-of-the-range model, the ID.3 Pro S features more exclusive equipment.
The entry-level ID.3 Pure features a 45 kWh battery, enabling a range of up to 330 km (WLTP). The rear-mounted electric motor generates 126 or 150 hp (93 kW or 110 kW). This entry-level model has a price tag of less than €30,000 on the German market. It features a comprehensive list of standard equipment including: 18-inch steel wheels; LED headlights with automatic lighting control; LED taillights; 10-color ambient lighting; ID.Light; the Air Care Climatronic air conditioning system; intelligent Natural Voice control; and the Keyless Start comfort start function. Standard driver assistance systems include Lane Assist lane keeping system, Front Assist, Dynamic Road Sign Display and Park Distance Control (PDC).
The ID.3 Pro features a 58 kWh battery with 146 or 204 hp (107 kW or 150 kW) and a range of up to 420 km (WLTP). The ID.3 Pro S has 204 hp (150 kW), boasts a battery capacity of 77 kWh and has a potential range of up to 550 km (WLTP). In only 30 minutes, the ID.3 Pro will harvest enough electrical energy to cover a distance of approximately 290 km, thanks to its 100 kW onboard charger.
The ID.3 Pro, available at less than €35,000, is the all-round version for urban mobility and a medium range. It features a larger battery than the ID.3 Pure, increased range, shorter charging times with DC, and more output. The ID.3 Pro S sits at the top of the model range. Its sporty equipment includes 19-inch Andoya wheels and Play & Pause design pedals.
Attractive optional equipment rounds off the range. As part of the “beats” sound system, a 400W amplifier powers seven speakers and one subwoofer. The augmented reality head-up display projects vital information onto the windscreen. The driver sees the information as a three-dimensional, staggered image at an apparent distance of three to ten meters in front of the vehicle. Travel Assist controls the distance to the vehicle ahead by accelerating and braking, keeps the vehicle in its lane and shows the surroundings on the Infotainment system display. The system’s function will be enhanced further at a later date: when drivers set a turn signal on motorways, Travel Assist will initiate a change in lanes, providing the surrounding traffic permits this maneuver.
Volkswagen designers have developed the Style packages for customers who want to make their ID.3 look even more distinctive. For the interior, customers can choose between the Style and Style Plus variants. Both feature seats with Sumba Flow fabric and ArtVelours microfleece, supplemented by a heated leather steering wheel and 30-color ambient lighting. Interior Style Plus additionally features electrically powered seat adjustment, seat heating and a pneumatically powered lumbar support with massage function.
The Style Silver or Style Penny Copper versions are available for the ID.3’s exterior. These packages include Silver or Copper trim strips on the roof and matching foil on the C-pillar. Large 20-inch Sanya wheels from Volkswagen R give the ID.3 an even sportier appearance. Customers can choose from six exterior colors, from Moonshine Grey to Makena Turquoise.
The clearly structured range makes ID.3 configuration on the Volkswagen website easier than ever before—customers can configure their dream car in only a few clicks. Volkswagen will also launch its We Charge offering together with the ID.3, giving access to around 150,000 public charging stations throughout Europe with a single card. Volkswagen customers can use the IONITY quick-charging network at favorable rates, with prices starting at €0.30 per kilowatt hour depending on the tariff they choose. Owners of the ID.3 1ST special edition will benefit from a charging credit of up to 2,000 kilowatt hours or €600 on their We Charge card.
EVs for all
Volkswagen’s electric offensive has picked up pace, as planned. In 2019 the company reached important milestones with the world première of the all-electric ID.3 and start of production at the electric vehicle plant in Zwickau. The market launch of the ID. family is Volkswagen’s number one objective for 2020, and the first ID.3s will take to European roads this summer.
Over the next few years Volkswagen aims to become a global leader in terms of electric mobility. To do so, the company is investing €33 billion across the Group by 2024, €11 billion of which has been earmarked for the Volkswagen brand. The Volkswagen brand expects to produce 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2025.
From 2021, the Zwickau plant will be producing up to 330,000 electric vehicles a year, making it Europe’s largest and most efficient electric vehicle plant. Internationally, preparations for the launch of the ID. family are also in full swing in China and the U.S. Pre-production has already begun at the Chinese plant in Anting.
Volkswagen has launched into a series of strategic business segments as part of its electric offensive. The recently established Elli subsidiary is forging ahead with the development of the charging infrastructure and is simultaneously also providing the matching renewable energy tariff. With We Charge the brand will launch an independent charging card on the market which Volkswagen customers can use across Europe at public charging stations. The ID. Charger wallbox makes efficient charging at home possible. Volkswagen is also establishing its own charging stations together with its dealerships: a total of 36,000 of these charging points are to be built at retailers and other sites across Europe by 2025.
Making the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) available to other manufacturers also marks a pioneering step. Ford will be one of the first automotive manufacturers to use it. The company plans to supply the European market with an MEB-based vehicle from 2023 and has estimated sales of more than 600,000 vehicles in six years.
Volkswagen has also taken crucial steps in terms of developing, testing and producing battery cells. Plans are underway to develop a battery cell plant with a capacity of 16 gigawatt hours in Salzgitter from the beginning of 2021. Production is scheduled to start in early 2024. Volkswagen has established a joint venture with Swedish company Northvolt for this purpose.