Volkswagen rips covers off new ID.4 electric SUV

VOLKSWAGEN has finally revealed the final design and a few key details of its ID.4 electric vehicle, a compact SUV due to touch down in Australian showrooms sometime in 2022.

Built on the same MEB platform as the smaller ID.3, Volkswagen says the ID.4 will launch globally later this year while Australia will have to wait a little longer according to Volkswagen Group Australia public relations and brand experience manager Kurt McGuiness.

“We’ve always maintained that we are very keen on introducing a family of MEB vehicles in Australia,” he said.

“As SUVs continue to be a popular choice with Australian consumers, having an SUV as part of an EV rollout makes a lot of sense for us.

“We don’t have any details regarding spec at this stage, but we have stated before we anticipate to start rolling out ID vehicles from 2022.”

With a claimed range of up to 500km, aerodynamics were a key part of the ID.4 puzzle, as was interior space and dynamics according to VW chief operating officer Ralf Brandstätter.

“The outstanding aerodynamics reduce the drag coefficient, and it will boost the ID.4’s range to up to 500 kilometres, depending on the drive package,” he said.

The ID.4 will initially be launched with rear-wheel drive – something of a rarity among compact SUVs – before an all-wheel-drive version is added “at a later date”.

As with all MEB underpinned vehicles, the battery has been positioned near the centre of the underbody in a bid to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible and spread the load evenly between the axles while also not intruding on cabin space.

According to Mr McGuiness, the new ID.4 will share a similar sized footprint to the current Tiguan but have the interior space of the bigger Tiguan Allspace.

“Size-wise, with EVs it’s a different scenario than with ICEs (internal combustion engines), because structural features like engine bays and transmission tunnels are no longer necessary,” he said.

“This means internal capacity increases while footprint can stay the same, the ID.3, for example, has the footprint of the Golf, but the internal space of a Passat."

Few other details have been released as to the rest of the car’s spec or standard equipment apart from a touch and voice operated digital cockpit.

Inevitable rivals for the ID.4 will include the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Kona Electric as well as a few alternatives a bit closer to home for VW like the Audi E-Tron 50 and recently announced Skoda Enyaq.

Both ID.4 and the preceding ID.3 hatch mark the first returns on a €1 billion ($A1.68 billion) investment by VW to electrify its model line-up, including both mild and plug-in hybrids.

So far this year ending February, VW has sold 6879 vehicles nationally (including LCVs), marking a 10.5 per cent sales decline compared to the same time last year (7684).