In its effort to move toward the inevitable electric future, the German automotive giant Volkswagen’s Indian subsidiary Volkswagen India recently revealed that it is planning to bring its first all-electric SUV – the ID4 to the nation next year. During an interview with a media outlet, the brand director of Volkswagen India, Ashish Gupta divulged that the company is aiming to bring a limited number of ID4 electric SUVs to test the waters in the country. If launched, the ID4 will become VW India’s fourth vehicle in the portfolio.
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The brand director stated that “We are looking to get the ID.4 into the country in August to begin testing it in India, in terms of the technology, the ecosystem and what internal preparations we need to make to bring the car into the country. Once this testing phase is over, my target is to bring in limited volumes of the top-spec variant of the ID4 into the country next year. This will be step one,”
He further added, “We have a global portfolio of EVs but it is a question of having a wider plan around introducing an EV in the country. We are formulating a three-step plan where we first bring in some fully built-up units (FBUs), then going in for local assembly through the parts and components route, and then full localisation. This whole plan is still under formulation.”
Upon further discussion during the interview, Gupta also shared his opinion on the electrification of the Indian automotive industry. He said that he believes the mass adoption of EVs in India is three-four years out as of now. Gupta said, “Mass electrification in India I think is still three to four years away. I see it only happening around 2025-26 because for mass localization, you need a manufacturing base, a supplier base & achieve price points for mass electrification to make sense. In the meantime, one must build capabilities internally & see how the market is responding”
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Internationally, the ID4 electric crossover SUV is the second model of the Volkswagen ID. series that is based on the MEB platform. The ID.4 is fitted with a water-cooled electric motor positioned at the rear axle. The motor produces between 109–150 kW (148–204 PS; 146–201 hp) of power and 310 Nm of torque. It also comes with an option between two battery packs. The first is a 55 kWh battery pack and the other is an 82 kWh pack.
In the quest for green mobility, India, the world’s fourth-largest vehicle market, is witnessing a huge surge of interest from major automakers. In India, Volkswagen’s EV will compete against Honda Motor Co.’s first hybrid electric car – the city e:HEV which has been launched at Rs. 19.5 lakhs ex-showroom. It will also compete with the Japanese carmaker Toyota’s upcoming Mirai hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. Furthermore, Hyundai has also pledged to roll out six battery models by 2028 and to launch its first electric crossover SUV, the Ioniq 5, this year. A ton of other OEMs have also announced that they will be bringing a tonne of more electric vehicles in the near future.
Keyword: VW ID4 electric car India launch in 2023