The ID.4 is coming – the expectations are high: World car. With its first electric SUV, the Volkswagen brand wants to take e-mobility out of its niche in the key markets of Europe, China and the USA. The ID.4 will be produced and sold locally in all three regions. Just in time for the world premiere, this dossier provides the most important facts.
Produced in a balance sheet climate friendly manner in Zwickau – this is how the ID.4 is created
Five plants on three continents will manufacture the electric SUV: series production has already begun in Zwickau, Saxony. Production will also start this year at the Chinese plants in Anting and Foshan. Production is scheduled to start in Chattanooga (USA) and Emden in 2022. “We are scaling the MEB platform around the world and creating the economic basis for the success of our ID. family,” said Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, at the SOP (Start of Production) in Zwickau.
Following the ID.3, the ID.4 is already the second ID. model “made in Saxony”. Zwickau is thus playing a pioneering role in the transformation of the worldwide production network. With investments of around 1.2 billion euros, Volkswagen has completely converted the site to the production of e-cars and made it the most efficient e-car factory in Europe.
Like the ID.3, the ID.4 leaves Zwickau without a CO2 backpack. This is made possible, among other things, by the use of green electricity and a highly efficient combined heat and power plant. “Green electricity is also used for the energy-intensive battery cell production by suppliers. Volkswagen compensates for unavoidable emissions through climate protection projects,” explains E-Mobility Board Member Thomas Ulbrich.
Dynamic acceleration – how the ID.4 drives
The ID.4 is a dynamic all-rounder. A powerful electric motor ensures effortless driving, while the DCC adaptive chassis control system guarantees individual comfort. As head of e-mobility, Thomas Ulbrich has often tested the model. He says: “The ID.4 is technically top equipped with future-oriented features, has a low center of gravity and super driving dynamics. In addition, it has really good acceleration. A car that is simply a lot of fun.”
The ID.4 is based, like the entire ID. family, on the modular electrification toolkit (MEB) and thus utilizes all the strengths of the platform specially tailored to electromobility. The advantages include competitive costs, long ranges, fast charging, long service life and plenty of interior space. According to the WLTP test cycle, the car will have a range of up to 520 kilometers. In models with a 77 kWh battery, drivers can recharge in around 30 minutes with direct current for the next 320 kilometers – with up to 125 kW charging power. With the ID. Charger, Volkswagen offers the appropriate wallbox for quick and convenient home charging.
CEO Ralf Brandstätter knows the advantages of the car. He says: “As a compact SUV, the ID.4 has, in our view, the best prerequisites for being successful in all important markets in the wider marketplace. We therefore assume that the Volkswagen brand will already be producing a total of 1.5 million e-cars per year in 2025. And the ID.4 is likely to account for around a third of this figure.”
Aerodynamically formed – this is what the ID.4 looks like
Even the exterior of the ID.4 makes the dawn of a new era clear: it combines a powerful expression with flowing organic forms and high aerodynamic qualities. “The ID.4 stands for an electric design evolution,” says Klaus Zyciora, Head of Design Volkswagen Group. The exterior makes a strong and confident impression in a new way. “This is primarily due to the seamless, aerodynamic design language of our ID. family, which we have transferred to the SUV segment for the first time with the ID.4,” explains Zyciora.
Good design is always functional – in an electric car, air resistance plays a major role in range. “The electric design evolution in the ID.4 also means that we have paid close attention to aerodynamic issues,” Zyciora explains. The ID.4 achieves an excellent drag coefficient value of 0.28. The most important factor is the flowing basic shape of the body and passenger cell, which strongly retreats towards the rear.
In the interior, the ID.4 impresses with generous space, purist design, dramatic lighting and sustainable materials. Luggage can also be easily stowed away – even with the rear seat backs in an upright position, the trunk has a volume of 543 liters. The interior design underlines the generous feeling of space: Similar to the exterior design, it appears light and flowing and concentrates on the essentials. The instrument panel seems to float – it has no connection to the center console, which is designed as a separate component. Zyciora gives the interior a concise formula: “Freedom on the outside, free space on the inside.”
