LAS VEGAS – volkswagen is preparing to expand the range of ID-branded electric vehicles. The next addition to the family is a battery-powered vehicle called the ID.7 that will arrive in the U.S. in 2024, with sales in Europe theoretically due to begin later this year (albeit, though). We have been told that it will most likely be back in early 2024).
While the nameplate is new, the idea of a roughly Passat– Large electric sedans do not. Volkswagen gave us an early ID.7 experience when it came out a sleek design study called ID.Aero in June 2022. Now at CES in Las Vegas, the production form can be seen, albeit under some very fancy camouflage. Indeed, instead of the usual vinyl wrap, the car has a 40-layer electroluminescent paint. The shape of the car is similar to the concept and shows a car about 194 inches long with a very long wheelbase, which should give it a spacious interior. It’s quite clearly a hatchback along the lines of Arteon.
Unlike that vehicle, however, the ID.7 will have rear-wheel drive as standard as it runs on the same modular MEB platform as ID.4 and ID.Buzz, among other EVs. Volkswagen says this will be the sixth member of the ID family globally. Full technical details are not shared here in Vegas, but VW has said it will have an estimated range of 700 kilometers (434 miles) during Europe’s more generous WLTP test cycle. That still has the potential to put it within 300 miles in the US, which proves it has a slicker sedan/hatchback look than the ID.4. VW says its drag coefficient will be between 0.23 or 0.24.
From the driver’s point of view, the ID.7 stands out from other ID badged trams in a number of key ways. Notably, the digital instrument cluster is integrated into the instrument panel rather than mounted on the steering column, and Volkswagen is committed to offering a long list of tech features such as a reworked infotainment system. display on a 15-inch touchscreen and especially with reworked menu tiles and other updates. The touch-sensitive climate and volume controls will also be benevolently illuminated, unlike in ID.4 and GTI, but unfortunately, VW is using touchscreen-controlled vents. The augmented reality head-up display combines with in-car technology updates, along with a climate control system that automatically kicks in when it detects the driver approaching.
After appearing in the spotlight at CES, Volkswagen’s ID.7 will make its debut without a hallucinogenic camouflage in the second quarter of 2023. It will go on sale in the United States, Chinaand Europe — unverified reports request that the new sedan will replace Arteon in Volkswagen’s US range. Pricing has yet to be announced, and there’s no word on where the US-market model will be built.
James Riswick contributed to this report
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