Volkswagen’s head of research and development has shared the first details on the largest member of the company’s ID electric family, set for a UK launch late in 2023.
The ID.6 sedan and wagon, based on the ID Vizzion and ID Space Vizzion concepts, will be sized similarly to the Passat, but offer similar levels of cabin space to the defunct Phaeton flagship.
Autocar reports it will have up to 700km of range and wear the ID.6 nameplate.
The number six has positive connotations in China, where Volkswagen is the number-one brand. The car is expected to do well there as sedans are still popular in the Middle Kingdom.
ID Vizzion concept
The ID.6 will be preceded by four models. There’s the ID.3 hatch already on sale in Europe, and the recently revealed ID.4 mid-size SUV.
Yet to be unveiled are the ID.4’s coupe sibling, the ID.5, and a production version of the ID Buzz — a contemporary take on the classic Kombi.
Head of research and development Frank Welsch said the ID.6’s largest battery pack will be an 84kWh unit capable of 700km of driving range, the greatest of any ID vehicle yet.
Welsch said the superior range can be attributed to improved battery cell efficiency and new aerodynamic developments.
Like other ID products, the ID.6 will be available in both single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive setups.
A sporty GTX model will feature the latter and have a 0-100km/h time of around 5.6 seconds, while the single-motor model will have a sprint time of around 8.5 seconds.
ID Space Vizzion concept 
The ID.6 will support charging at a rate of up to 200kW with 230km of range available in just 10 minutes from a DC rapid charger.
In related news, the ID.3 will soon receive a higher charging capacity, increasing to 130kW next July and adding a 170kW option next December.
The ID.6 will be built at Volkswagen’s Emden plant in Germany, which has produced the Passat for 36 years.
That long run will come to an end with the next-generation Passat, due in 2023, which will move to the same factory where the Skoda Superb is manufactured.
The Passat is getting shuffled off in more than one way. Its sedan variant is reportedly on the chopping block, along with the Arteon, leaving the next-generation B9 series as a wagon-only proposition.
Buyers seeking a three-box silhouette will instead have to look to the Skoda Superb.
Volkswagen ID.5 
Volkswagen ID.4 
The Passat’s departure will cement Emden as an electric vehicle plant, at which Volkswagen will also produce the ID.4 and ID.5.
The company is targeting production volume of 300,000 electric vehicles annually by 2023. The ID.6 will also be built in China from 2024.
The ID.6 will serve as Volkswagen’s rival for the upcoming BMW i4, an electric version of the next-generation 4 Series Gran Coupe, as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.
The latter will use Mercedes’ new Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA), which will also underpin an EQE SUV, and the upcoming EQS fastback and EQS SUV.
