Volkswagen have started production of their much anticipated VW ID.4 at their car factory in Zwickau, Germany following tough times for manufacturing around the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This new electric SUV from the German car manufacturer is set to launch officially in September. Production of the ID.4 will follow in two factories in China later this year, with another joining them in Chattanooga, USA in 2022.
Volkswagen’s plant in Zwickau, which has built fossil fuel cars for 116 years, is now dedicated entirely to the production of electric cars with investments of about £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion/€1.2 billion). Work at the plant will be completed by the end of the year and Volkswagen plan to build 300,000 electric vehicles in 2021 helping them towards their planned target of selling one million electric cars by 2025.
The ID.4 will be based on Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) found in their first all-electric car, the ID.3 hatchback. Being an SUV the car will be bigger than its hatchback predecessor, but Volkswagen say that the aerodynamics have been key to helping with its efficiency. By using the MEB system it will help to keep construction costs down and make production more efficient.
Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, said: “The outstanding aerodynamics reduce the drag coefficient, and it will boost the ID.4’s range to up to 500 kilometres, depending on the drive package. 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.”
