Volkswagen is currently on a roll with its EV offensive and losing momentum wouldn't help its efforts in any way, so it has no intention of slowing down.
The ID.3, the company's first purpose-built electric vehicle, is doing well in Europe despite its late launch and everything that's going on. Since it came to market, it's been the top seller in most of the continent's big EV markets, so the real challenge now for VW is to keep production at a high enough rate to meet the soaring demand.
Topping the sales charts in Norway and the Netherlands is great, but it's also the U.S. and China where Volkswagen really needs to hit it if it truly wants to become one of the most important EV ballers. That's where the ID.4 comes in, a vehicle best described as the ID.3's SUV/crossover cousin.
Both cars share the same MEB modular platform created specifically for battery-powered vehicles, hence the similarities. The ID.4 has an 82 kWh battery (77 kWh net), which is enough to give it a 520 km WLTP range (323 miles). According to the EPA, though, the VW electric crossover will only be able to cover 250 miles (402 km) on a full charge, which is a huge drop.
However, we all know how some manufacturers do everything they can for the best possible EPA rating (yes, Tesla is one of them) and how that doesn't always translate the same into the real world. We'd go out on a limb here and say the ID.4 should have no problem crossing the 300 miles limit with some considerate, law-abiding driving.
That is precisely what you're not about to see in the clip below. Instead, you'll get to watch Tanner Foust - of TopGear America fame, if anyone remembers, and also professional racing and stunt driver - give the ID.4 the beans around the beautiful Willow Springs racing circuit.
It's a short commercial clip from Volkswagen, so it's no surprise that Tanner is full of praise for the ID.4. Still, the footage shows the car going sideways and doing lots of other apparently fun stuff, despite the relatively feeble single motor (204 hp) and the thin tires.
Volkswagen has already started the production of the ID.4, so it can't be too long until the first deliveries are made. Starting in 2022, the model will also commence assembly on U.S. soil at the Chattanooga plant. By that time the dual-motor all-wheel-drive version should also become available.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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