1672799927 VWs next electric car for the USA is the sedan

VW’s next electric car for the USA is the sedan ID.7

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The rear of a camouflaged VW ID.7
Enlarge / VW has used QR codes to camouflage the shape of its new ID.7 sedan for its CES debut.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen unveiled its next all-electric model for North America in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Well, at least a somewhat camouflaged version – the show car sports an electroluminescent QR code livery for its debut at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Dubbed the ID.7, the new sedan will go on sale in the US in 2024 after the official production car was unveiled later this fall. As the name suggests, the ID.7 is part of VW’s new family of electric vehicles that use the company’s new modular platform called MEB (Modular E-Drive Kit or Modular E-Drive Kit), which we see in the ID .4 crossover and the ID. Buzz van.

The ID.7 is to be launched above the ID.4.Enlarge / The ID.7 should come onto the market above the ID.4.

Volkswagen

Like the ID.4, the ID.7 will be built in Emden, Germany, and like this crossover, it will be a global electric vehicle for VW, sold in Europe and China as well as the US. (Europe also gets an ID.3 hatchback and ID.5 crossover, and the ID.6 is a larger crossover just for the Chinese market.)

Expect it to be roomy inside — at 116.9 inches (2,969 mm), the ID.7’s wheelbase is a fair bit longer than the ID.4, which already has a generous cabin.

It also features a new 15-inch infotainment system. And there’s bad news if you like physical controls for the vents – like a Tesla or Porsche, the ID.7 uses digitally controlled vents, which VW says also respond to voice prompts like “Hello Volkswagen, my hands are cold.”

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UX improvements include the backlighting of the climate system sliders.Enlarge / UX improvements include climate system slider backlighting.

Volkswagen

Not all advances sound bad, however. According to VW, the air conditioning is intelligent enough to recognize when the driver approaches the car and then cools the interior on a hot day or warms it on a cold day.

VW is aiming for a WLTP-certified range of 700 km. Given the differences between this European EV efficiency test and the US EPA test cycle, it’s impossible to simply convert that number to miles to estimate the US equivalent, but I would expect it to be comfortably over 300 miles. (For context, the Mercedes-Benz EQS started with a 700 km WLTP range and a 350-mile EPA range.)

Note that the images provided by VW show that the car still uses the brand's capacitive multifunction steering wheel. <a href="https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/10/after-complaints-volkswagen-will-ditch-capacitive-steering-wheel-controls/">That is likely to change</a>when the electric vehicle goes on sale in 2024.” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/id7_Cockpit_ambilicht-980×552.jpg” width=”980″ height=”552″/>Enlarge / Note that the images provided by VW show the car still using the brand’s multifunction capacitive steering wheel. That is expected to change when the EV goes on sale in 2024.</p><p>Volkswagen</p><p>The shape of the ID.7 aims to help the car achieve this; More than half of an electric vehicle’s energy at highway speeds is used to combat drag. However, it might be hard to tell from these photos. The show car has 40 coats of paint and contains 22 electroluminescent areas, giving it a dramatic look.</p><p>“With the new ID.7, we are expanding our range of electric models into the upper segments. The sedan will offer technology and quality at the highest level. The ID.7 is one of 10 new electric models that we plan to launch by 2026. Our goal? Delivering suitable products for our customers in each individual segment,” said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.</p><p><img data-lazyloaded=Enlarge / The undisguised ID.7 will be presented this autumn.

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