Volkswagen provided the electric equivalent of the Passat. ID.7 hides behind only minimal camouflage

Volkswagen’s ID family of electric vehicles will grow again this year. Next to the ID.3 hatchback, which is awaiting a facelift, the ID.4, ID.5 crossovers and the Chinese ID.6, the ID.7 limousine is also on the way. It’s based on the ID.Aero concept, and despite the subtle camouflage, this is clearly not your typical sedan.

It has a very aerodynamic body with a rounded nose, gradually descending silhouette and large wheels at the corners of the body. In other words, features that we are used to not only in cars on the MEB platform, but in all modern electric vehicles.

Finely refined aerodynamics should help the car reach a range of up to 700 km per charge under the stricter WLTP protocol. Volkswagen also revealed that the ID.7 will have a wheelbase of 2,969mm, 94mm longer than the Tesla Model 3 and 20mm longer than the Hyundai Ioniq 6; Both are the biggest competitors. The wheelbase is also 165 mm longer than the Passat with an internal combustion engine, which results in a more spacious cabin.

Inside no longer hides anything. A 15-inch tablet-style free-standing touch screen is combined with a small digital instrument cluster and an augmented reality display on the glass. Touch the sliders at the bottom of the screen that control the climate and volume functions, It is now highlighted.

However, the steering wheel retains the touch controls, which will soon be replaced with regular buttons based on customer feedback. At least that’s what the new head of the brand, Thomas Schäfer, said in October.

An interesting feature inside is the digitally controlled ventilation. According to the automaker, the system recognizes the driver based on the key and cools or heats the interior before entering the vehicle. The air conditioner can automatically distribute air over large areas, or direct the flow towards the body of passengers. These functions can be activated for each passenger via the central touchscreen or using voice commands.

The Volkswagen ID.7 will be available in Europe, China and North America. It is scheduled to be officially launched in the second quarter of this year. For European markets, production will take place at the Emden plant in Germany with the ID.4. The electric sedan will be the sixth model in the ID range and one of 10 new electric cars that Volkswagen will launch by 2026.