Following Volkswagen’s first battery electric vehicle, the ID.3, the company is stepping up its EV efforts with a second model in the family with its first all-electric SUV called the ID.4.
Series production of the vehicle is underway at VW’s Zwickau plant, and the brand will have its world premiere of the ID.4 at the end of September.
The ID.4 is based on Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB). This is an all-electric platform that maximizes the opportunities offered by e-mobility. With its low drag coefficient of 0.28 and scalable battery system, the ID.4 can cover over 500 kilometers (to WLTP). The vehicle also offers plenty of interior space, and the powerful proportions lend an ultra-modern look to the exterior.
The SUV will initially be launched with rear-wheel drive, while an electric all-wheel drive version will be added at a later date. The high-voltage battery is positioned in the sandwich-design underbody to create an optimum, low center of gravity in terms of driving dynamics, along with an extremely well-balanced axle load distribution. Like all models based on the new modular electric drive matrix (MEB), the ID.4 offer more space thanks to its compact electric drive technology.
“With the ID.4, Volkswagen is adding an all-electric vehicle to its offering in the compact SUV class, the world’s largest growth segment,” said Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand. “Following the ID.3, this is already the second model based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB). Going forward, the car will be built and sold in Europe, in China, and later also in the USA. That is how we are scaling the MEB platform globally and laying the economic foundations for the success of our ID. family.”
Zwickau plays a key role in the system changeover to e-mobility: For the first time, a large car manufacturing plant is being entirely converted to e-mobility, with investments running at some €1.2 billion. All conversion work will be completed as scheduled this year. In 2021, the first full production year as an EV factory, some 300,000 electric vehicles based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) will leave the Zwickau plant.
