UPDATED 6/27/2022. Volkswagen released additional information on battery capacity and European production plans.
- The VW ID. Aero's name comes from its sleek 0.23 drag coefficient.
- VW hasn't released powertrain details but notes it rides on the MEB platform and the company is targeting 385 miles under the WLTP test cycle.
- The VW ID. Aero is set to hit dealers in China in the second half of 2023.
Following last week’s teaser art, the folks at Volkswagen pull the sheet off the concept of the company’s first MEB-based EV sedan. Dubbed the ID. Aero, this sleek four-door previews VW’s plans going forward and shows the brand isn’t abandoning sedans anytime soon. While this all-electric car is scheduled to hit the Chinese market in the second half of 2023, the company says this premium midsize sedan will hit the global market with time. "Following the ID.4, this model will be our next global car for Europe, China, and the US," says Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.
As you’d expect with its name, the ID. Aero is slippery: VW say the concept delivers a 0.23 drag coefficient, which bests the original Tesla Model S. Though, it does trail the updated Model S by 0.022. The ID. Aero also matches the current Tesla Model 3 in the wind tunnel, both at 0.23 Cd. Drag used to mean how much you were penalized in fuel economy, but now it’s a good sign of how much range you can expect from an electric powertrain.
VW doesn’t give any hard specs on the ID. Aero’s hardware but does note it’s riding on the MEB platform. The company estimates the ID. Aero will hit 385 miles of range when judged against the WLTP test cycle. It’s hard to say how that will translate into an EPA figure until it goes through testing in the US, but it should still best 300 miles. Powering the ID. Aero is a 77-kWh lithium-ion battery.
This ID. Aero concept sits on a set of 22-inch five-spoke alloy wheels that help establish that this isn’t an entry-level sedan. The futuristic illuminated touch-sensitive door handles hopefully won’t make it to the production version, but they're interesting on the concept car. Though, considering the recent trajectory automakers have taken with concept cars, we expect the ID. Aero concept will largely translate to the production version without too many major changes.
The production version will debut next year. It makes sense that Volkswagen kicked off its EV lineup with a series of crossovers, but it’s promising to see VW still engaging the sedan. We'll have a sense for US pricing once the ID. Aero launches in China in the second half of next year. China is a priority for VW because, as early as 2030, the automaker expects at least half of new cars sold in China to be all-electric.
Volkswagen is also planning to start production of a European version in Emden, Germany, in 2023.
Do you think the ID. Aero makes sense for Volkswagen? Let us know in the comments below.
