Volkswagen ID.7 ready for launch in China

FURTHER details surrounding Volkswagen’s ID.7 – an all-electric answer to the Passat sedan – have been revealed by Chinese publication Car News China this week, the model slated to make its official debut at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show.

According to the report, the MEB platform-based ID.7 will have a 150kW single motor and 77kWh NMC ternary battery to provide a driving range of up to 700km and top speed of 155km/h.

The model will be assembled in the FAW-Volkswagen plant in Guandong, China. Sales of the model are also slated for Canada, Europe and the United States. European vehicles will be built at VW’s Emden plant in Germany.

The EV sedan is the sixth member of the ID family of vehicles and measures 4956mm in length, 1862mm in width and 1537mm height and rides on a 2965mm wheelbase. The kerb weight is listed at 2122kg.

By way of reference, the previous generation Passat sedan measured 4767mm long, 1832mm wide, 1457mm high and featured a 2786mm wheelbase. It weighed 1511kg (tare) in base form.

Car News China said images of the model were leaked via government approval documents (note: for copyright reasons the images shown here are from the debut of the concept ID.7 shown at the Consumer Electronics Show previously) and reveal an augmented reality head-up display system, which projects instrumentation, infotainment and navigation information onto the windscreen, separate 15.0-inch central touchscreen, newly developed climate control system and 18- or 19-inch alloy wheel options.

China is an important market for VW. In 2022, the Volkswagen Group sold 3.18 million vehicles in the country, a significant portion of the 8.3 million units sold globally over the same period. Car News China says ID-branded models have been especially popular in the booming market, with 143,100 units sold in 2022 – a 200 per cent increase over 2021, and a figure that represents 44 per cent of all global ID deliveries.

Pricing for the new Volkswagen ID.7 is yet to be revealed, though is predicted to begin at around CN¥378,000 ($A82,000).

Speaking at the preview of the ID.7 in Las Vegas earlier this year, Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO, Thomas Schafer, said, “With the new ID.7, we are rounding off the top end of our electric model range”.

“The sedan will offer top class technology and quality. The ID.7 is one of 10 new electric models that we are planning to launch by 2026. Our goal? To offer suitable products for our passengers in every segment.”

The ID.7 will arrive in Chinese showrooms in the second half of 2023 following its public unveiling at the Shanghai Auto Show.