Volkswagen’s new ID.4 electric SUV has been named to the 2021 Automotive Excellence Awards by Popular Mechanics.
The ID.4 will soon be built at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, facility, once the plant’s current expansion is completed to accommodate electric vehicle production. In the meantime, the ID.4 is being built in Germany.
Popular Mechanics editors praised the ID.4 for its spacious interior, easy-to-drive nature and approachable feel.
“Volkswagen is committed to bringing e-mobility to the masses, just as our beloved Beetle once brought innovative and engaging mobility to the masses. We designed the ID.4 to offer everything that a traditional compact SUV does, with the added benefit of all-electric driving, so that customers don’t have to choose between the functionality they need and zero-tailpipe emission driving,” said Matthew Renna, vice president of e-mobility and innovation, Volkswagen of America Inc.
Built on the brand’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) architecture, the ID.4 launched in the U.S. with an 82kWh (gross) battery and a rear-mounted AC permanent-magnet synchronous motor with 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. Later this year, it will be available with a second motor, delivering more performance and all-wheel drive. The ID.4 Pro rear-wheel-drive models have an estimated 260-mile range, while the Pro S and 1st Edition RWD models have an estimated 250-mile range.
