The first US-made examples of the Volkswagen ID.4 rolled off the assembly line in Chattanooga a few days ago, part of a pre-production batch that will preview the official start of production in 2022, giving the ID.4 a home in North America. The model has been on sale since early spring when the first examples arrived from Germany, with the Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant set to expand the production of Volkswagen's MEB platform beyond Europe and Asia.

Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant is key to the automaker's presence in the US, having given the brand its long-awaited Atlas crossover, with VW now making room for EV production in Tennessee in the coming years. Earlier this summer VW said that it will end production of the Passat at the plant to make room for the ID.4, giving the sedan a send-off with 1973 Limited Edition units to mark the model's 1973 global debut. After production of the Passat ends stateside, VW will rely on the German-made Arteon as its main sedan offering here, while the Chattanooga plant will use the space for ID.4 production.

"This early model is a way for us to validate the build process, components, and procedures in advance of full assembly which is scheduled to begin next year," VW of America President and CEO Scott Keogh wrote in a post on LinkedIn. "Just as important, it represents our $800 million dollar investment in EV assembly for the region—and our commitment to the high-tech jobs that will keep this facility humming."

To prepare for the EV age, the Volkswagen Academy at the Chattanooga plant has been transforming its vocational training program to offer new courses on EV technology over the past few months, including on working with high-voltage batteries, and aluminum welding techniques.

"Completely new to many students is the aluminum welding required for the battery of an electric vehicle," Volkswagen noted earlier in March. "Typically, apprentices (or, in many cases, robots) weld with steel, but for the EV batteries, they learn how to weld with rubber on an aluminum frame which will be placed in the underbody of the vehicle. The process new to Volkswagen is a key technology and skill which is needed as more EVs are developed at Volkswagen."

This week Volkswagen revealed details about the all-wheel drive version of the electric ID.4 sport utility, which will follow the rear-wheel drive version that debuted on sale earlier this spring. The good news when it comes to range is that the ID.4 AWD Pro version has now received an official EPA rating of 249 miles, just 11 miles south of the front-wheel drive model, preserving quite a bit of the range capability despite the addition of a second motor. The ID.4 AWD Pro S model, meanwhile, has received a 240-mile rating from the EPA.

Rear-wheel drive versions of these two models had received ratings of 260 and 250 miles, respectively, so the differences between all four versions should not force buyers to make compromises based on driving range.
The automaker also notes that the ID.4 Pro AWD has been rated at 102 MPGe for city driving, and 90 MPGe highway, for a combined 97 MPGe rating. The AWD Pro S model, meanwhile, has landed a combined 93 MPGe rating, receiving 98 MPGe in the city and 88 MPGe on the highway. The AWD models keep the 82-kWh (gross) battery packs, as well as the 5% to 80% fast-charging time of 38 minutes, with 125 kW fast-charging.

What's interesting is that VW added a different motor type to the front axle in the AWD models: They have a permanent-magnet synchronous motor in the back, and an asynchronous motor up front that uses less power, with the vehicle offering a combined 295 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque—a 94-hp boost over the RWD model. This is perhaps something we'll see more of as VW Group models debut in rear- and all-wheel drive flavors.

VW offers the ID.4 AWD Pro with a starting price of $44,870, prior to any federal or local incentives. The AWD Pro S, meanwhile, starts at $49,370.
Perhaps more importantly, these numbers represent about a $3680 premium over the starting prices of rear-wheel drive ID.4 models, so while the issue of range differences is largely moot, the costs to consumer for ticking the AWD box is not a substantial one. Once buyers are already shopping for an electric crossover around the $40,000 mark, that premium amount to the cost of a few options.

"ID.4 owners receive three years of unlimited charging at Electrify America DC Fast Chargers at no additional cost," the automaker notes. "Electrify America is the nation's largest open DC fast charging network with more than 650 charging stations and more than 2700 DC fast chargers, including two cross-country routes that can allow electric vehicle (EV) drivers to travel from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles and Jacksonville to San Diego."

Volkswagen's ID.4 has a Guinness World Record to its name, and it is for the longest journey by an EV in a single country. This record would not have been possible without Rainer Zietlow and Derek Collins, who drove the ID.4 across 48 U.S. states and over 35,000 miles (ca. 56,327 km).
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The trio set off almost 100 days ago and planned to visit over 600 Volkswagen dealerships in the U.S. with an ID.4, VW's first long-range EV, as the company describes it.

Much later, after over 35,000 miles (ca. 56,327 km) and 628 Volkswagen dealerships visited, a Guinness World Records representative awaited them back in Herndon, VA, with their record certificate. To be precise, we are writing about 35,770 (57.566 km) miles driven in 97 days (about 3 months).

Along their route, the travelers made 208 stops at Electrify America's charging stations. The latter is the largest open DC fast-charging network in the USA, and it has over 650 charging stations and more than 2,800 individual DC fast chargers. Unfortunately, VW has not specified the vehicle's energy efficiency for this trip, but we have our data on the ID.4.

As Electrify America notes, the company expects to have more than 1,800 charging stations and over 10,000 chargers in North America (USA and Canada) by 2025. As long as other companies do their part in the expansion of the EV charging network in each country they operate, it will be easier to drive from North to South or from East to West in any country with an electric vehicle and without any range anxiety.

To be clear, the record they set is for the longest continuous journey by electric vehicle (non-solar) in a single country. The team's progress was presented on a dedicated website, with updates on the vehicle's position being made every 15 minutes.

The previous record was bypassed by more than double the distance. Unlike other cross-country challenges, this record tends to be linked to a vehicle's range and the crew's ability to choose the best charging points along the way.

In other words, this record could be broken if a few people decide they have the necessary time for it and contact Guinness World Records on the matter. Before attempting this, those three months of travel will need a considerable bit of planning.

VW of America CEO Scott Keogh has announced new features for the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4, including increased range, improved charging, and auto-hold function. For the 2023 model year, the German electric crossover will come from the Chattanooga plant and will feature unique styling, more suited for American drivers.
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The Volkswagen ID.4 has entered the second model year with a $765 price bump across the board. Prices start now at $41,995 for the rear-wheel-drive Pro model and go up to to $50,135 in the case of the all-wheel-drive Pro S. Of course, being the second year on the market, the 1st Edition trim is no longer available. Technically, there is nothing new on the 2022 ID.4, which still features single-motor versions with 201 HH, and AWD models dual-motor configurations with 295 HP.

Efficiency should see a slight improvement though, with the EPA figures higher than the current estimates of 240-260 miles on a charge, depending on the trim level. We don’t know how much further a 2022 ID.4 will go, but the 135 kW charging ability is a given, via an OTA update. This is up from the 125 kW of last year’s model – not much, but welcome nevertheless.

Another OTA update will grace ID.4 owners later this year with niceties like the auto-hold function for the parking brake and a more convenient charging experience at VW's Electrify America fast-charging stations.

Volkswagen will ramp up ID.4 production at Chattanooga plant in Tennessee, and this means all cars coming to the U.S. market will be Made in the U.S.A. This starts with the 2023 model year, in the second half of the year. The interesting part is that the American model will be a little different from its European brother. Apart from the battery modules that will be supplied by SKI rather than LG Chem, Scott Keogh mentioned a revised center console that is more “American” in style.

The American-built ID.4 will have the same price as its European-sourced model, but a cheaper version is also in the works. This will act as the new base version, with a smaller battery and less range, but also with a starting price of only $35,000 that will appease the model’s already huge fan base.

Pretty much since it launched, Volkswagen has said it will eventually start building the ID.4 electric SUV at its plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. Now it has reaffirmed that the production in the U.S. will begin this year for the 2023 model. Also, while details are scant, it noted that the 2023 model year will also see the introduction of a smaller-battery version, which will bring the base price down.

The only detail VW revealed was that the shorter-range ID.4 will feature a 62-kWh battery pack, which will be larger than the short-range versions on offer in Europe. The current U.S.-market ID.4 has an 82-kWh battery pack, and with rear-wheel drive, it can return 275 miles. So we're estimating that the 62-kWh model could return around 200 miles with rear-wheel drive, probably a bit less with all-wheel drive.

We've previously expected this new entry-level ID.4 to be priced around $35,000 before tax incentives, which would make it very compelling against similarly-sized options such as Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Kia EV6 and the upcoming Nissan Ariya. All of those EVs start around the $40,000 mark, just as the long-range ID.4 does.

Both versions of ID.4 will be built at the Chattanooga plant, and VW will provide additional details on the updated models later this year. Apparently a revised center console is on the docket. We'll be curious to see if the other ID.4 variants see a slight price cut because of the new production location, since VW won't have to import them from Germany anymore. It's also possible the long-range versions won't really change in price, with VW potentially enjoying a bit more profit, especially with the short-range model providing the lower base price.

Following months of preparations, the first US-made Volkswagen ID.4 rolled off the assembly line this week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The electric crossover is the first EV from the automaker's ID lineup to be produced stateside, and has entered production almost two years after first launching in Zwickau, Lower Saxony.

The start of ID.4 production comes after Volkswagen invested $800 million in the Tennessee plant that started building Passat sedans in 2011. Passat production in Chattanooga ends this year, but most of the plant's capacity has been devoted to the Atlas SUV models, since 2017.

Initially, 82-kWh versions with rear- or all-wheel drive will be produced stateside, with the smaller 62-kWh variant set to join production later this year.

VW plans to increase production to 7000 cars per month starting in the fourth quarter of this year, and to increase output further in 2023. VW points out that components for the ID.4 are manufactured in 11 states, with electronics coming from North Carolina and Kentucky, steel parts from Ohio and Alabama, and interior parts from Indiana and South Carolina.
In total, the ID.4 is now produced in four factories around the world, with Foshan and Anting in China (which now produce the ID.6 as well) having joined ID.4 production in 2021 at two VW joint ventures in the country.

"We’re just starting to write a new chapter for Volkswagen in America, and it is very much an American story," said Thomas Schäfer, chairman of the global Volkswagen brand. “When we promised to bring Volkswagen EVs to the millions, it always included American workers building those EVs right there in Chattanooga.

The start of US production is a major step for the automaker, which has contended with a number of delays early on during the pandemic, just as ID.3 and ID.4 production was getting started in Germany. Volkswagen has managed to work through a number of supplier challenges amid record demand for EVs in Europe in 2020 and 2021, with the start of production in Chattanooga designed to take some of the pressure off Zwickau when it comes to US models.
However, the ID.4 is expected to be the sole electric VW model produced stateside for now, and will be the only EV offered by VW for some time, as the ID. Buzz due in 2024 will be produced in Germany and most likely so will the Aero sedan due the same year, aimed at the Tesla Model 3. Volkswagen had also decided some time ago not to introduce the smaller and less expensive ID.3 hatchback stateside.

"We couldn’t be prouder to see that vision realized today with our ID.4 electric flagship rolling off the lines," Schäfer added. "This is another milestone in Volkswagen’s ambitious electrification strategy for the U.S. market and globally."

The US production launch also coincides with Scott Keogh, who has been CEO and president of Volkswagen Group of America and head of the Volkswagen brand in North America since 2018, being named to lead the Scout electric truck and SUV brand, which is expected to be produced at the expanded Chattanooga site starting in 2026. Keogh oversaw the preparations for ID.4 production in Chattanooga prior to championing plans to resurrect the Scout brand.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 will start sales this fall with a base price of $37,495, thanks to a new entry-level version with a smaller battery. The revised model comes from the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, making it the first EV the German carmaker builds in the U.S.
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Volkswagen is going through a major reorganization, but its plans for the U.S. market remain crystal clear. Although its CEO Scott Keogh has been assigned to reboot the Scout brand, Volkswagen of America continues on the path set by the former CEO. Starting this fall, a revised ID.4 will roll off the production lines in Chattanooga, including a new base trim aimed at price-conscious customers.

The new trim named “ID.4 Standard” was teased last month, but few details were offered aside from the smaller battery capacity. Although rumor had it that the new entry-level ID.4 would have a less powerful motor, we’re glad to share that this is not the case. The ID.4 Standard has the same 201-horsepower electric motor as the ID.4 Pro, but only a 62-kWh battery, as opposed to the 82-kWh battery of its bigger brother. This combination allows it to travel 208 miles (335 km) on a full charge, whereas the ID.4 Pro can go 275 miles (443 km).

While the 201-horsepower motor is good news, this has consequences. Instead of the “under $35,000” price we were expecting, the ID.4 Standard retails for $37,495. Hopefully, this will be lowered via the expected Federal tax credit of up to $7,500. If you want more equipment, you can opt for the pimped-up ID.4 S version for $42,495, but at roughly the same price as the ID.4 Pro with the bigger battery; the latter is a safer bet.

Volkswagen has promised to bring the Volkswagen ID.4 closer to what the American customers want, and indeed 2023 model year comes with subtle styling updates. Inside, there’s a standard 12-inch infotainment system display, while every trim looks more upmarket thanks to better materials. The most American thing is the revised center console, which Volkswagen says was modified specifically for the U.S.-built model. Expect lush equipment throughout and a plethora of driver assistance systems