It’s now official: VW unveiled the ID.Aero electric car concept in China on Monday, anticipating the new model will go into production in 2023.
The global debut cements March comments from VW group CEO Herbert Diess that an electric sedan would go on sale in 2023.
Joining the compact ID.3 hatch, the SUVs ID.4 and ID.5 and the ID.Buzz, the VW ID.Aero presents as an electric mid-sized sedan in the format of the current Passat.
It will first be available for China customers in the second half of 2023, followed by a German-made version for European and US customers.
Unfortunately, there is no news as yet on when and if it will be made available for Australia, although VW’s local arm confirmed on Monday that the ID.4 and ID.5 may arrive by late 2023, with the ID.3 to follow after that.
“With the ID. AERO show car, we are revealing a preview of the next member of the ID. family. A car with an emotional and at the same time extremely aerodynamic design, a range of over 600 kilometres, an extraordinary amount of space and a premium interior,” said Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, in a statement.
The coupé style body of the ID.Aero spans about five metres over the MEB platform on which it sits. With its electric platform and underfloor battery, though it is billed as a mid-size sedan its interior it should be able to compete with luxury class sedans in terms of space.
Powered by a 77 kWh battery, VW says the ID.Aero will deliver a range of up to 620 kilometres, thanks to its aerodynamic fine-tuning resulting in a drag coefficient of 0.23.
How close to its final production design the vehicle is, only time will tell. It features illuminated logos on the front and rear as with its ID predecessors, which have not made it to production previously.
Likewise the door handles, indicated by LED strips and referred to as “illuminated touch surfaces”, may also end up in a more traditional format.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.