Today’s ID.4 global debut — an SUV with more than 400 kilometres of range — follows the launch of the compact ID.3 in select markets, and kicks off a transformative plan to roll out 75 all-electric VW models worldwide by 2029

Volkswagen Group Canada today officially unveiled the ID.4, a battery electric SUV expected to be available in limited quantities on Canadian roads by mid-2021.

The vehicle will have a projected range of over 400 kilometres, and will be released in rear and all-wheel drive editions — a first for a fully electric compact SUV.

“[The ID.4] represents the future of our company. One that is bright, progressive, and full of… electric energy,” said Pierre Boutin, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group Canada at the vehicle’s virtual launch.

Boutin further described the ID.4 as a product of “significant investment being made to convert our company from one of the world’s largest producers of internal combustion vehicles to a leader in electromobility.”

The ID.4 is one of 75 all-electric models Volkswagen says it will release worldwide by 2029. As a company, VW has pledged to achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2050.

Pricing not announced

The ID.4’s Canadian pricing scheme was not announced. The first American model has a suggested retail price of just under US$40,000. Canadian buyers will receive at least two years of free charging on the Electrify Canada network, a Volkswagen subsidiary (U.S. buyers get three years of free charging through Electrify America).

The ID.4 will be able to charge at up to 125kW DC, a speed that will take the car to an 80 per cent charge from 5 per cent in 38 minutes.

Canadian models will also come with a number of features designed with winter driving in mind, including vehicle pre-heating and heat pump technology, which takes in thermal energy from outside the vehicle in order to reduce the energy load of interior heating, thereby improving the battery’s wintertime range.

Greater availability in 2022

To start, the ID.4 will be made solely in Zwickau, Germany. As such, supply will likely be limited in the first year. In 2022, a new facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., will take charge of North American ID.4 production, allowing for more widespread distribution.

While pre-orders for the vehicle in America have already begun, information about Canadian sales will not be available until next year. Volkswagen indicated that while supply limitations may necessitate a “staggered approach” in selling the ID.4 across Canada, the vehicle will eventually be available at all of its Canadian dealerships.

Volkswagen also noted that sales staff will be given proper training in order to educate potential buyers on the nature of EV ownership and operation.

“We’re going to be ensuring that each and every one of our dealerships has a salesperson that is… almost a product genius, who can really dive into the details and explain the lifestyle attributes that come along with owning an EV… and be able to highlight all of those great features that are different from a gasoline vehicle,” said Patrick Danielson, Volkswagen Canada’s director of product planning.