Two years after it was initially confirmed for a South African debut, the all-electric VW ID.4 is penned in to make its local introduction later this year.
However, it won’t be available to the public just yet as it will be part of a “test fleet” with VW’s commercial and media partners, alongside the recently-introduced ID.Buzz Cargo.
“This is our first step towards our long-term plan of adding EVs [electric vehicles] to VWSA’s product portfolio, in addition to the ID.Buzz Cargo which is a part of the partnership with DHL,” VW South Africa confirmed to TopAuto.
The finer details surrounding the ID.4 – such as the specific trims undergoing testing and that will potentially reach local showrooms thereafter – will only be revealed at the announcement of the pilot programme, said the manufacturer.
When queried why it decided to abandon the ID.3 in favour of the ID.4 for the country, VW said: “We believe the ID.4 is a suitable model for South Africa in terms of space and size.”
What to expect
The VW ID.4 range has been on sale in some 30 European countries since 2021 in as many as four specifications, depending on the market.
In Germany, the EV comes in Pure, Pro, and GTX guises all differentiated by their performance and equipment levels
The base Pure gets a 52kWh battery and one electric motor at the rear with an output of 125kW, affording it a range of 364km and allowing it to eclipse 100km/h in nine seconds.
The mid-spec Pro, meanwhile, is available in rear-wheel (RWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) configurations each powered by a 77kWh battery pack.
In both variants, it has a maximum potential of 210kW which pushes the SUV to 100km/h in 6.6-6.7 seconds, depending on the model, with the RWD variant delivering a range of 550km and the AWD one a slightly lower 530km.
As the flagship, the GTX is AWD only and generates a system output of 250kW which sees it pip 100km/h in 5.4 seconds, though with the same battery capacity as in the Pro, the more powerful ID.4 achieves a lower 515km range.
A 0-100% charge on an 11kW AC socket then takes all of eight hours with the 77kWh pack, and when you have access to a 130kW DC plug, it goes from 10-80% in as little as 28 minutes.
Switching focus away from the VW’s underpinnings, there are plenty of nice-to-haves for future customers to look forward to.
As standard, the ID.4 Pure and Pro bring automatic LED headlights with daytime-running lights; keyless entry and start; a 10-inch central control hub with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and built-in navigation; automatic climate control; lane-keep assist; automatic distance control; front emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection; traffic sign recognition; and driver distraction and fatigue detection.
The GTX further makes do with a heated multifunction steering wheel with touch controls, 30-colour ambient lighting, a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, a hands-free tailgate, and IQ.Light LED Matrix headlights.
At 4,584mm long, 1,852mm wide, and 1,634mm tall – the ID.4 is ever so slightly longer and wider than the Tiguan, but fractionally lower.
In Germany, the electric VW starts at €40,335 for the Pure and tops out at €53,255 equating to an approximate price range of R830,000 to R1.1 million at current exchange rates.
It would be difficult to predict the price of the ID.4 in South Africa given that no VW EVs are on sale here that will provide a baseline for such an equation, but we do expect it to be around 10-20% pricier locally than abroad given the country’s high import taxes.
It should be noted that the above specifications are specific to the ID.4 in Germany and may not necessarily be reflective of those that will arrive in South Africa, but there shouldn’t be too many deviations between the two models.
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