Volkswagen’s biggest, baddest electric liftback – the ID.7 – will soon have an all-wheel drive flagship.
The ID.7 GTX will be revealed during September at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.
Along with plenty of red highlights and a black roof, Volkswagen is promising the car will have “dynamics manager” software capable of adapting the way the motors behave to allow for efficiency when you’re cruising, and performance when you’re in a hurry.
The same software interacts with the braking, steering, and adaptive dampers, allowing the feel of the car to be customised depending on the driver’s mood.
“The limousine’s running gear and steering have been fundamentally enhanced on the basis of the modular electric drive (MEB) platform and offer a large bandwidth between comfort and sportiness thanks to the possibility of driving profile selection,” Volkswagen says.
“This underlines the ID.7 GTX’s status as the flagship model in the ID. family.”
The ID.7 GTX will sit along hotted-up versions of the ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs.
The Passat sedan is dead in markets like Europe, but the new Volkswagen ID.7 will serve as a replacement of sorts. As the stubby rear indicates, it’s actually a five-door liftback like the Arteon, if rather more upright in appearance.
It may not come here, with Volkswagen Australia telling CarExpert late last year it’s not a priority for the brand locally.
“We’re not in the project at the moment. We have looked at it a few times, but currently it’s not on our list of ones that we’re trying really hard to bring in,” said Michelle Rowney, head of product for Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles in Australia.
A single, rear-mounted 210kW/545Nm electric motor will be available, as will a dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up. According to filings with the Chinese government, ID.7 models there will also offer a 150kW rear electric motor.
The ID.7 will offer claimed range of up to 615km with the 82kWh (77kWh usable) battery pack, with an available 91kWh (86kWh net) battery bumping that to 700km.
It rides the familiar MEB underpinnings used in every other current Volkswagen ID. model plus other electric vehicles from Audi and Skoda.