Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 arriving in Oz next year

Volkswagen has confirmed a 2023 arrival for the German brand’s long-awaited first electric vehicles for Australia – the Volkswagen ID.4 and Volkswagen ID.5 twins.

In an interview with carsales, Volkswagen Group Australia’s head of passenger vehicles Michal Szaniecki stopped short of specifying a launch date but said Aussie buyers could look forward to seeing both the ID.4 mid-size SUV and its coupe-style ID.5 counterpart next year, including GTX performance variants.

“That is absolutely our intention for this car [ID.4] to be the first EV,” he said.

“Now our first intentions and second finalisation of the process with our HQ colleagues would suggest that in 2023 we already will enjoy ID.4 in Australia.

“ID.5 should come together with ID.4 … the details and the timing is still TBC, but this is exactly the twin introduction intended.”

In terms of pricing, Szaniecki said the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 twins “will be probably [be] slightly less expensive than Tesla” depending on the model and variant, pointing to an entry price in or around the mid-$60,000 mark (before on-road costs are added).

This should ensure lower grades of the ID.4 and possibly even the ID.5 will be eligible for the increasing number of EV incentives being rolled out by state and territory governments around the country.

Count on both single-motor/rear-wheel drive and dual-motor/AWD models to be offered, with the twin-motor GTX at the top of the pack offering 220kW of power and a driving range of almost 500km from its 82kWh battery pack.

Not stopping there, Szaniecki also said the Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback is on track for a 2024 local launch, some 12 months after the ID.4 and ID.5.

Launched in Europe in 2020, the ID.3 will also undergo a mid-life facelift before arriving Down Under.

“We are waiting for the new variant of ID.3 because it’s now undergoing the change [facelift], therefore of course we want the best for us, for Australia,” he said.

“We are ready to wait for the better car.”

Szaniecki anticipates around 20 per cent of Volkswagen’s local sales in 2024 will be made up of electrified vehicles, with a clear preference in favour of the ID models.

Volkswagen Group Australia confirmed today that its first EV to be offered on local soil will be the Cupra Born, which goes on sale early next year.

The Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 will follow, with the Skoda Enyaq iV and Coupe iV due to launch late 2023 or early in 2024.

Among other EVs under study for Australia is the Kombi-like ID.Buzz that Volkswagen is hoping to offer here in passenger wagon and Cargo commercial variants, including a California camper version.

Additional reporting: Callum Hunter

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