GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Volkswagen ID.4 EV SUV makes debut

The first all-electric Volkswagen EV in history was not shown in Geneva this morning, but revealed online ahead of its expected Australian release in 2022.

The Volkswagen ID.4 will become the second dedicated production Volkswagen EV behind the ID.3 hatch, with up to 500km of EV range from its biggest lithium-ion battery packs when it launches in Europe later this year.

The second car from the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Matrix (MEB) architecture, the ID.4 will start beneath €30,000 in Europe, with a choice of 45kWh, 58kW/h and 77kW/h battery packs.

This is designed to give customers a choice to suit both their budgets and their range demands and the ID.4’s specification packages, the Pure, the Pro and the Pro S, line up with the battery sizes, rather than the power outputs.

The Volkswagen ID.4, first teased last November, can also be charged with AC, DC or three-phase current.

The ID.4 will also be sold with four powertrain options, with outputs ranging from 93kW to 150kW, and with either rear- and all-wheel drive.

Part of Volkswagen’s promised surge to 1.5 million electric cars by 2025, the ID.4 is claimed to be carbon neutral throughout its supply chain, rather than just delivering local zero emissions.

The 4.26-metre ID.4 has a short front overhang and a long wheelbase, promising enormous interior space in a compact SUV body. Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed its full dimensions, but the stated length matches that of the ID.Buzz concept, which was 4624mm long, 1891mm wide and 1609mm high.There are few buttons inside the ID.4, which will be mostly controlled by touch functions or voice control, which Volkswagen calls Intelligent Natural Voice control, and claims is the most intuitive system in the market.

The SUV also has wireless app connect, allowing the user’s smartphone to control its charging or pre-entry climate control.