Volkswagen has announced the start of the production of their second electric car in the massive planned ID series of EVs that VW will continue to add towards over the next years. With the inaugural EV being the ID.3 electric hatchback, the next car in the lineup will be the ID.4 SUV to cover the all-important small SUV market.
While the ID.4 has yet to be fully revealed it its production form (although we have some apparently leaked images), Volkswagen has already started series production of the ID.4 a month before the official unveiling. No doubt wanting to avoid the same delays they have seen with the ID.3, which has yet to make its deliveries, Volkswagen has started production as quickly as possible in their Zwickau factory.
Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand stated:
“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. 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.”
Adding on, Board Member for E-mobility, Thomas Ulbrich remarked:
“We are right on schedule with the Volkswagen brand’s transformation process to e-mobility. The ID.3 is now being followed by the ID.4. Given the major societal challenges of recent months, the successful start of ID.4 series production is an exceptional achievement, so my appreciation and thanks go especially to the Volkswagen team in Saxony and all members of the ID team. The second model in the ID. family is already rolling off the assembly line where, only recently, ICEs were still being built.”
While the ID.4 is planned to have a global production, initially the production will start in VW’s Zwickau factory, which will be their most important factory moving forward as it is currently going through a €1.2 billion renovation to convert it to an e-mobility factory. The facility is already the site of ID.3 production and next year Volkswagen is projecting that the factory will output 300,000 electric cars, a very solid number.
The ID.4 will however not only be produced in the Zwickau factory but also in China where preproduction is beginning in their Anting plant. Additionally, the ID.4 will be the first VW electric car to be produced in the United States with production at their Chattanooga site expected in 2022. Unfortunately, that does mean that we might still have a year and a half wait before we can get a taste of VW electric cars in the States.
We still have to wait for next month to see the full specifications of the ID.4, but Volkswagen is stating that it will have over a 310-mile range based on the WLTP. The electric small SUV market is certainly a competitive one, filled with many good choices moving forward, so VW will have their work cut out for them.
Another car we are looking forward to from the ID line is the upcoming Volkswagen ID Buzz.
Source: VW
