The ID 7, previously referred to as the Aero B concept car and in development, will initially be available as a five-door liftback and eventually as an estate.
It is the sixth model to be launched in the ID range and will initially sit alongside the Volkswagen Arteon and Volkswagen Passat, the latter of which will only be offered as an estate in its next generation. In time it will become VW’s only offering in Europe’s shrinking D-segment as no further versions of the Arteon and Passat are due once the switch to EVs is made.
“Globally, the saloon segment is disappearing, even in China,” VW boss Thomas Schäfer told Autocar. “In China, it’s already happening in the low-price saloons. It is going down in Europe; it's never been huge, except for a handful of markets, maybe Turkey, but we will definitely not bring a lot of saloons. This is it [ID 7] and we converge onto that when we let go of the combustion engine.”
The ID 7, which is based on the MEB platform, has a length of 4940 mm, a width of 1859 mm, and a height of 1529 mm. It has a wheelbase of 2969 mm, which is the same as the Volkswagen ID Buzz. The ID 7 is longer than both the Passat and the Arteon.
Volkswagen has provided limited technical information about the ID 7 prior to its complete unveiling. But it has been confirmed that the car will have a maximum range of 435 miles, which will be available in a larger-battery model that has not yet been introduced in an ID vehicle. Upon release, the ID 7 will be equipped with the current largest battery pack, which is 77 kWh.
The vehicle will be released with a two-wheel drive initially, followed by a four-wheel drive GTX model at a later time. This will match the powertrain options of other similar models on the market, such as the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2, and Hyundai Ioniq 6.
There are some significant updates and enhancements in the latest ID models. The infotainment system has undergone major changes, including the addition of temperature controls on the main homepage of the 15-inch touchscreen. Plus, the physical temperature slider bar below the screen now features illumination for easy use in the dark. The car has smart air vents that start cooling or heating automatically when the keyholder is close. The vents can also heat the steering wheel when necessary. Additionally, the car comes with a standard augmented reality head-up display.
The Volkswagen ID 7 will be produced at the Emden factory in Germany and will be exported to all markets, except China. The Chinese market will have locally made Volkswagen cars via two local joint venture partners.
Source: Volkswagen, Autocar