Power, options and trim levels have been leaked ahead of the VW ID.4’s official debut.
The upcoming Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV has been leaked, as images and technical details for the firm’s upcoming Tesla Model Y rival have been published online by Chinese authorities.
The Chinese market will be one of the ID.4’s most important destinations and the specifications outlined in the leaks relate to versions of the crossover due to be in other markets such as Australia, expected to be available in 2022.
Volkswagen released a handful of very revealing teaser images for the ID.4 back in March, and these regulatory filings remove the camouflage from Volkswagen’s own official glimpse. There’s a clear resemblance to the ID.3, but the overall design of the ID.4 sticks closely to that of the ID.Crozz concept from 2017.
Slim LED headlamps are connected by a lightbar at the front-end, which will become a familiar design treatment used across VW’s range of future ID. models, but the nose is squared off to give the ID.4 a bulkier, more SUV-like look. It doesn’t use a glass tailgate, as on the hatchback, and the rear end is far more conventional – showing similarities with the rest of the brand’s SUVs with its steel boot lid. The full-width LED tail light bar is another touch not found on the ID.4’s smaller sibling.
A range of alloy wheel designs have also been confirmed by the images and we know that two versions – the ID.4 Pro and ID.4 1st Edition – are due. The model pictured appears to be the standard version of the ID.4 but VW bosses have previously suggested that a fastback version of the SUV will also be launched.
VW ID.4 power and specifications
As for the technical data, a top speed of 159km/h has been confirmed, while the ID.4 will use an electric motor rated at 150kW. Against the tape measure, the ID.4 is 4,592mm long, 1,852mm wide and 1,629mm tall, while the wheelbase sizes up at 2,765mm.
A driving range for the ID.4 has not been confirmed, as different markets use different standards for this. In Europe at least, Volkswagen has previously claimed that a maximum of 500km on a single charge will be possible.
VW ID.4 official images and Crozz concept
Officially, Volkswagen has already unveiled a near-production version of the all-electric ID.4 SUV under a light disguise. The German brand also confirmed that it’s new electric model will go on sale this year in overseas markets, where it will rival the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro.
The ID. Crozz concept that previewed the ID.4 featured a pair of electric motors that provided a power output of 225kW and a top speed of 180km/h – this could form the basis of the all-wheel-drive ID.4 version.
Volkswagen’s MEB platform can also accommodate battery packs ranging between 45kWh and 77kWh in size, which translates to between roughly 400 to 500km of range.
No official interior images or unofficial leaks have come through yet, but the ID.4 will probably borrow the ID.3’s interior architecture with a new generation floating infotainment system and fully digital instruments both the focal points of a minimalist dashboard.
The ID.4 (along with its sister vehicle, the ID.3 hatchback) forms part of Volkswagen’s aim of becoming completely carbon-neutral by 2050. The company has also invested one billion euros in electrified vehicles, with the further aim to cut its fleet CO2 emissions by 33 per cent by as early as 2025.
VW ID.4 in Australia
Volkswagen has already unveiled a near-production version of the all-electric ID.4 SUV under a light disguise, following the cancellation of this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The German brand also confirmed that its new electric model will go on sale this year in Europe, China and the United States, where it will rival the the Tesla Model Y, Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro.
Volkswagen Australia will push forward with its electrification program locally, and the ID.4 is expected to launch here in 2022.
Luke Wilkinson