By : TEAM TOS
MUMBAI :
Last month, Volkswagen India held its annual brand conference 2024 in Jaipur where it showcased the all-electric ID.4 SUV, clearly indicating that it has plans to introduce the EV in the Indian market. It took the Volkswagen ID.4 EV almost three and a half years to reach the Indian shores after its global debut in September 2020. The ID.4 is the German brand's first fully electric SUV and what is going to be very interesting is to see how VW positions and prices it in India. Here’s everything that we know about Volkswagen ID.4 so far…
Based on the modular electric drive matrix platform, the ID.4 takes design inspiration from nature which is also evident from its flowing appearance. Volkswagen has focused a lot on the aerodynamics of the SUV and hence it has been able to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.28. The SUV flaunts large interactive IQ.Light LED matrix headlights upfront and 3D LED tail light clusters at the rear which are connected via a red light strip. It rides on 21-inch alloy wheels and roof-rails should come as a standard fitment.
The ORVMs get additional lighting which come into play upon the opening of the doors as it projects a pattern onto the ground. This 4.6 metre long SUV offers a boot capacity of 543 litres which can be further extended upto 1575 litres by folding the rear seats.
Enter the cabin and you will find no physical buttons or switches, instead touch-based functions are introduced to operate practically everything. It gets a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system with “Hello ID.” natural voice commands. The e-SUV carries a narrow lighting strip below the windscreen which VW calls ID.Light. Some of the notable features in the ID.4 include electrically driven boot lid, augmented reality head-up display, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, and Discover Pro navigation system with We Connect Start online services. Volkswagen has designed the software and hardware under the completely new architecture which allows the buyers to download updates to the car even after the purchase.
The ID.4 comes packed with a mid-mounted 77 kWh battery pack which returns a driving range of up to 520 km (WLTP) on a single charge. The electric motor is positioned at the rear axle and it delivers maximum power output of 201 bhp. The all-electric ID.4 SUV can do a 0-100kmph sprint in a mere 8.5 secs before topping out at 160kmph. The owners can achieve a range of 320 km in around 30 mins from a 125 kW DC quick-charging station.
The ID.4 electric SUV is expected to launch in India by the end of 2024. It would be sold as a direct import from Europe. It could attract a starting price of around INR 55-60 lakh (ex-showroom) due to the import duties.
Volkswagen ID.4 will lock horns with the Kia EV6, Volvo XC40 Recharge and BYD Seal in the Indian market.
