Volkswagen revealed its ID. Aero concept on Monday. The four-door sedan is aimed at the Chinese market for the moment, but a version for North America and Europe version will debut next year.
"With the ID. Aero show car, we are revealing a preview of the next member of our electric vehicle family. It's a car with an emotional and at the same time extremely aerodynamic design, a range of more than 600 kilometers, an extraordinary amount of space and a premium interior," says Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Passenger Cars in a press release.
"With our Accelerate strategy, we are intensively driving forward the electrification of our model range. Following the ID.4, this model will be our next global car for Europe, China and the U.S."
The car will be more than 16 feet long, putting it in the midsize luxury sedan category. Volkswagen now says the ID. Aero will have a range of 385 miles on the European (WLTP) test cycle with a 77-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery, though U.S. range tests are different and more difficult. It also has a drag coefficient of 0.23, better than the hyper-efficient Toyota Prius.
The aerodynamic design starts at the front end with a low nose and a smooth profile to make sure the air flows over the body. The back end then tapers slightly to separate that air from the body as it gets to the rear. The 22-inch wheels are fitted into the wheel housings to reduce drag and the door handles are replaced with flush touch surfaces.
The ID. Aero features Polar Light Blue Metallic paint, which VW says creates a golden shimmer in certain lighting situations, while the roof of the concept is painted in high-gloss black. The honeycomb grille and rear lower bumper section are also in black.
Similar to the ID. 4 and ID. Buzz, the Aero has a full-length light bar across the front as a daytime running light. It wraps into the fenders and then reappears at the rear end, joined by LED tail lights.
The ID. Aero sits on Volkswagen's electric MEB architecture, which is also used for the Audi Q4 and Q5 E-tron, in addition to the VW ID. 4 and Buzz. The new platform can be stretched and shrunk depending on what body it will wear.
The Aero will be the biggest car the company makes as it's bigger than both the Passat and Arteon. In the electric realm it would compete against other midsize EVs like the Polestar 2, Jaguar i-Pace and even the Chevrolet Bolt.
The more expensive end of the competition would include the BMW i4, forthcoming Mercedes-Benz EQE and the Audi e-tron GT. Official pricing will come closer to launch.
The ID. Aero concept goes on sale in China in the second half of 2023. VW will then introduce a series version for both Europe and North America. It will be produced at the company's plant in Emden, Germany.
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