Production of ID.4 begins but will debut after ENYAQ iV

21 August 2020 Volkswagen Group’s (VW’s) second model in its ID. family line up, the ID.4, has entered into production in Zwickau. Debuting at the end of September, it will be based on the carmakers’ modular electric drive (MEB) platform. However, it will not be the first all-electric SUV based on the platform to enter the market place. Skoda will be releasing its Enyaq iV on 1 September, three weeks ahead of the ID.4. The VW subsidiary is producing the model at its main plant in Mladá Boleslav. World’s largest growth segment Thanks to the MEB platform, the ID.4’s high-voltage battery is positioned in the sandwich-design underbody. This creates a low centre of gravity for driving dynamics, and with a drag coefficient of 0.28, the ID.4 boasts a range over 500km (WLTP). The modular platform also means a more spacious interior. The cockpit boasts a range of digital capabilities too, with operations largely carried out via touch surfaces and intuitive voice control. ′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’, said Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand. ′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,’ he concluded. Promoting the production of the second vehicle in its ID family line-up, VW is underscoring its ambition to become the global leader in e-mobility. The group is investing some €33 billion in the period to 2024, €11 billion of which has been earmarked for the VW brand, allowing for the expected production of 1.5 million electric cars in 2025. ′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,’ said board member for e-mobility, Thomas Ulbrich. ′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, internal combustion engines (ICEs) were still being built.’ In June, VW announced that the last ICE powered vehicle had rolled off Zwickau’s production line. Work to convert the plant to an electric vehicle (EV) only site looks to be completed this year. In 2021, some 300,000 EVs based on the MEB platform will leave the plant. Preparations to launch the ID.4 on an international level are also in full swing. Pre-production of the SUV has already started at the Anting plant in China, and the Chattanooga site in America will begin production in 2022. Beaten to punch But the VW ID.4 will be the second battery electric vehicle (BEV) SUV utilising the MEB platform, following the Skoda Enyaq iV. As the two models will share the same platform, the Czech manufacturer’s EV also looks to be capable of 500km (WLTP) and short charging times. In the entry-level variants, the rear motor drives the rear wheels. In the more powerful versions, a second electric motor is installed at the front to transfer torque to the road more efficiently. There will be a total of five different power versions and three battery sizes on offer. ′The Enyaq iV marks the beginning of a new era for Skoda, it is the figurehead of our e-Mobility campaign,’ said Skoda Auto CEO, Bernhard Maier. ′With it, we’re making e-Mobility simply clever thanks to long ranges and short charging times.’ ′At the same time, the Enyaq iV takes Skoda-typical virtues such as superior interior space, trendsetting design and maximum functionality to a new level. Our first all-electric e-model based on Volkswagen Group’s modular electric car platform will be built at our main plant in Mladá Boleslav, at the heart of Skoda. This is an important step towards securing the future of the location and safeguarding jobs in the region,’ he added. With this electric SUV, the Czech carmaker is continuing down its e-mobility path, which began at the end of 2019 with the Citigo iV and the Superb iV. More than 10 partially or fully-electric iV models are planned between 2019 and the end of 2022.