Volkswagen plans to expand its ID range of EVs into the upmarket sedan segment. The 2025 ID.7 is an electric hatchback sedan that’s a little smaller than a Tesla Model S, and VW-watchers are describing it as a successor to the Phaeton.

However, as James Morris writes in Forbes, the ID.7, which will be built on VW’s MEB platform, represents more than just a new body style—it introduces a major update to VW’s electric drivetrain. Innovations include the APP550 motor, which packs 210 kW (282 hp) and 545 Nm of torque into the same space as the previous 201 hp motor, and incorporates various improvements, including optimized magnets and a new inverter.

European ID.7 buyers will be able to choose Volkswagen’s largest EV battery pack to date, with 91 kWh of energy (86 kWh usable). At this time, US variants are expected to offer a 77 kWh (usable) pack. VW says configurations with the 86 kWh battery will achieve a range of up to 435 miles (WLTP). One key to this bladder-busting range—apparently more than Tesla, Mercedes or BMW can muster at the moment—is the ID.7’s drag coefficient of 0.23, one of the lowest in the industry.

The DC fast charging rate has also been improved, to at least 170 kW—a very respectable rate, but still short of what Porsche (which uses a different EV platform) can offer, to say nothing of the current CCS maximum of 350 kW.

The ID.7 will be launched this fall in China and Europe, and US deliveries are to begin in 2024. North American and European ID.7s will be built at the recently updated EV plant at Emden, Germany. Pricing is expected to start in the mid-50-grand range.

Source: Volkswagen, Road and Track, Forbes