Post testing the ID 4, Volkswagen will plan to bring limited volumes of the EV in the country next year
Just a few days back, we told you about Skoda readying its Enyaq iV electric SUV for launch in India soon and, now, it has been confirmed that Volkswagen is also gearing up to test its ID 4 electric SUV here, this year.
As both the born-electric EVs are underpinned by the same Volkswagen Group’s modular MEB architecture which Mahindra is also eyeing for its upcoming born-electric cars, it makes perfect sense for both Volkswagen and Skoda to capitalise on the shared platform in the future.
After completing the testing here, Volkswagen will plan to bring limited volumes of the electric SUV next year. But the company didn’t go into details about the launch timelines and local production of the EV.
Coming to the ID 4 itself, while it’s a born-electric car, it still looks like a conventional SUV, a trend followed by all the German brands. While such a move does cripple creativity in the future, it will help people adopt EVs faster. Any day buyers will feel at home on the BMW i4 than on the Kia EV6.
At the front, the SUV features curvy lines and creases without a prominent grille. The LED headlamps are interconnected via the bonnet line which also holds the brand logo. The bumper features a quilted pattern grille and it’s in place, most probably, for cooling the powertrain.
There are matte black inserts on the bumper in place of the regular fog lamps. The body gets a dual-tone finish with piano black roof and pillars. At the sides, the electric SUV features a coupe kind of styling with large 21-inch dual-tone diamond-cut alloy wheels with low-profile tires.
Like the front, the rear too gets interconnected tail lamps with Volkswagen logo in between. The bumper, finished in pale ash, sports recesses for the number plate and the reflectors.
On the inside, the SUV gets sophisticated dashboard with minimalistic controls. While the head-up display features a large screen, the instrument cluster makes to do with a smaller unit. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom thanks to the platform.
Power comes from a lone 77 kWh battery pack, which is the same 1 seen on the Skoda Enyaq iV, driving either a single motor 2-wheel-drive system for the base variant or a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system for the top GTX variant.
The single motor puts out 204 HP and 310 Nm with the range of up to 520 km (WLTP) while the combined output of the dual motors is 299 HP with a range of up to 480 km (WLTP).
India will, most probably, get the GTX variant for testing that claims 480 km range which is slightly lesser than the Enyaq’s 513 km. But, the Skoda’s higher range is at the cost of lower power.