Volkswagen didn’t reveal pricing for the ID.7. For now, it’s just teasing the overall look and highlighting features like a 15-inch touch screen, augmented reality windshield display, and more.
By Emily Dreibelbis
Volkswagen revealed its first electric sedan for US customers here at CES on Tuesday night. Known as the ID.7, the vehicle will be available starting with the 2024 model year.
At VW’s press event, the car was coated with a digital camouflage, or “40 layers of paint that are electronically controllable,” said Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars. The multi-colored surface of the vehicle, which lights up on command, is a special effect for CES, but also acts as a scannable QR code for more information about the vehicle.
Since SUVs have the largest share of the American car market, Volkswagen does not expect the ID.7 to unseat its popular ID.4 SUV. But the vehicle will be available in Europe and China. “The sedan segment is not dead from our point of view,” Schäfer noted.
VW touted some top-of-the-line bells and whistles on the ID.7 to help it compete with the Tesla Model 3 and other electric sedans. “One of the biggest things here is the larger, 15-inch interior screen,” says Mark Gillies, PR manager for Volkswagen. “We’ve also illuminated the slider control and have an augmented-reality head-up display.”
The AR display shows the speed limit in small lettering on the windshield, so the driver can refer to it without fully taking their eyes off the road. The driver also can move the display around to find the optimal spot. Another common use for head-up displays are navigation, with the turn-by-turn arrows appearing at the appropriate time to aid the driver.
The ID.7 builds on the ID.AERO concept vehicle that VW showed off last year in China. It boasts a 700-kilometer range, which would technically convert to 435 miles, but multiple Volkswagen representatives cautioned against directly converting from the European estimates, as they tend to be higher than the EPA estimates in the US.
“We are estimating about 300 miles of range for the US market,” Gillies says. This is slightly higher than the ID.4’s 275-mile range, in part because sedans are more aerodynamic given their slower frontal area and sleeker shape.
Volkswagen has yet to reveal pricing for the ID.7. For now, it’s just teasing the overall look and highlighting fun features. For example, drivers can say, “My hands are cold,” which triggers the steering wheel to heat up while directing the heat vents toward the driver’s hands. Expect a world premiere of the series production version in the second quarter of 2023.
After the ID.7, the next big electric launch for the US market from Volkswagen will be the 2024 ID.Buzz, a modern version of the Woodstock-era retro van, set to be revealed later this year. By 2026, Volkswagen plans to have 10 new electric models, though availability will vary by market.
