Volkswagen ID.6 EV revealed in China in 7-seater form

Why stop at five when you can do seven? The folks at Volkswagen must have thought this as they reveal the new VW ID.6 for the Chinese market. The seven-seater crossover comes in as a bigger brother to the five-seater VW ID.4 crossover launched a year ago. The Chinese-only ID.6 is available in two flavours and has all it takes to go global if the market is ripe enough for it, despite the staid looks and cheesy naming system.

The 2022 VW ID.6 is a no-nonsense practical EV that is built on Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform that also underpins the Skoda Enyaq and the recently revealed Audi Q4 E-Tron twins. There are two types of ID.6 available. There is ID.6 Crozz, developed by the joint venture between VW and FAW and then comes the ID.6 X, built in partnership with SAIC. Both the ID.6 models are identical in their mechanicals but they differ in terms of the separate LED headlight, tail lights and bumper designs. Both the ID.6s get a 300 mm longer wheelbase than the ID.4 to accommodate the third row of seats. There are seven-seater and six-seater options to choose from.

The VW ID.6 range starts with a base model, equipped with a single electric motor that brings forth 177 hp, good enough for a 0-100 kph run in 9.3 seconds. There is another 201 hp single motor trim available before you can step up to the full monty. The dual-motor VW ID.6 gets a total output of 302 hp and 310 Nm. And this takes it from 0 to 100 kph in 6.6 seconds. Thanks to the two motors, the top trim of the ID.6 is effectively an all-wheel drive. There are two battery options, 58 kWh and 77 kWh, claiming a range of 436 and 588 km respectively in the China NEDC cycle.

VW aims to punch high with its ID branded models, and the ID.6 is a good step in that direction. No more than 8 models will come with this brand and this should strengthen the appeal of Volkswagen in conservative markets where Tesla’s exaggerated style and performance aren’t selling points. There does not seem to be any current plan by VW to offer EVs in the UAE and other GCC countries this year.