After a stalled start, German giant Volkswagen is preparing to hit the accelerator with the launch of three electric cars in the space of 12 months.
Volkswagen Australia is preparing to deploy a wave of new electric cars from the end of next year – the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5 and ID.3 – after a delayed start that placed our market four years behind Europe.
The first of Volkswagen’s ID battery-electric cars went on sale in Europe in 2020, and the range has since expanded to a family of four (soon to be five) models – the ID.3 hatchback, ID.4 and ID.5 mid-size SUVs, and upcoming ID. Buzz people mover and cargo van.
However, Volkswagen Australia says a mix of limited supply and high demand means ID electric cars were prioritised for markets like Europe, where car makers face financial penalties for missing strict emissions targets – regulations which do not yet exist in Australia.
After a long delay, Australia is slated to step off the sidelines next year, with the launch of the first two ID models: the Tiguan-sized ID.4 mid-size SUV, and its sportier ‘coupe-styled’ sibling, the ID.5.
Set to follow in 2024 is the smaller ID.3 electric hatch – the twin to VW Group sister brand Cupra’s Born electric car, due next year – and at a later date, if it’s given the green light, the Kombi-inspired ID. Buzz people mover.
Volkswagen Australia says production of the ID.4 and ID.5 is currently expected to begin around October next year, which would correlate to first deliveries early in 2024.
However, the company says it is working to bring the start of production forward to the middle of 2023, in order to get the first cars into local showrooms before the end of the year – though this is yet to be finalised.
Pricing and specifications for these vehicles are yet to be announced, however a VW Australia spokesperson told Drive there are “a number of options available” to the brand, across multiple battery packs, electric motor outputs and standard feature levels.
Expect the range to focus on better-equipped models with the largest battery packs available, which in Europe deliver up to a claimed km of range in rear-wheel-drive form.
A stripped-back, short-range base model to bring down the base price won’t be offered, as such a model “wouldn’t match our customers’ expectations of what a Volkswagen offers”, a spokesperson told Drive.
Prices in the UK start as low as £37,000 ($AU64,200) – equivalent to a low- to mid-range Tiguan family SUV, priced from about $47,000 drive-away in Australia.
Meanwhile, high-grade models cost up to £55,000 ($AU95,000), or five per cent more than a Tiguan R flagship, which is about $76,500 drive-away here.
These prices apply to the ID.4 range; opting for the sportier ID.5 – which differs with a sloping roofline from the middle ‘B’ pillar back, though with identical rear doors – costs about £500 ($AU900) extra.
Available above the core ID.4 and ID.5 ranges are flagship GTX variants (ID.5 GTX above), with dual motors, 220kW, 470km of driving range, and 0-100km/h times of 6.2 seconds – compared to one motor, 150kW, 500km of range, and an 8.5-second sprint time in standard models.
These models can be optioned up to £59,000 ($AU102,500) – pointing to a local price above $85,000 drive-away, or on par with a less potent (but longer-range) Kia EV6 GT-Line rear-wheel drive.
Volkswagen Australia says these variants would be “desirable” – given the relative popularity of high-performance Volkswagens in Australia – however local launches have not been locked in.
Following the ID.4 and ID.5 into showrooms in late 2023 or early 2024 – depending on whether the start of production date is brought forward – is set to be the smaller ID.3 hatchback, expected to arrive in Australia sometime in 2024.
The earmarked 2024 launch date is set to see Volkswagen Australia launch the ID.3 after its mid-life facelift – arriving four years into its life cycle, having gone on sale in Europe in mid-2020.
The Volkswagen ID.3 will be beaten to market by its twin from the VW Group’s Cupra brand, known as the Born, which is due in showrooms in early 2023.
Fewer details of specifications are known for the ID.3 than its taller siblings, however expect the largest battery packs and most potent electric motors available globally to be offered locally, offering up to 550km of driving range.
It remains to be seen how the ID.3 will be differentiated from its Cupra twin, given the Born is also slated to launch with the largest battery (77kWh) available – and a single 170kW electric motor, which is more powerful than the flagship 150kW motor offered in the Volkswagen.
Prices for the Cupra have been indicated to start in the high $50,000s, or low $60,000s; though it’s unclear if this range includes or excludes on-road costs.
Volkswagen is positioned half a step above Cupra in the Group’s hierarchy, with the German brand’s petrol-powered models a few thousand dollars dearer for similar performance and features – suggesting top-of-the-range ID.3s will break past $60,000 before on-road costs.
Although not confirmed for Australia, VW Australia has shown interest in the electric revival of the classic Kombi, the ID. Buzz electric van and people mover range – underpinned by the same ‘MEB’ dedicated electric platform as the other ID models.
While the ID. Buzz is due on sale in Europe within the coming months from a German factory – and in the US in 2024, in long-wheelbase, seven-seat form built in America – a launch in Australia has not been locked in.
However, it’s unlikely to form part of the initial wave of Volkswagen ID launches in Australia.
The ID family will expand in the coming years to the ID.7 (or ID.6) sedan, previewed in concept form last month, and a small €20,000 ($AU) electric car, expected to wear the ID.1 or ID.2 badge.
These models have yet to be locked in for Australia – and aren’t even due in European showrooms until the end of 2023, and sometime in 2025 respectively.
Volkswagen’s sister brands in Australia, Skoda and Cupra, have announced similar electric-car roll-out plans due to commence as early as the first few months of next year.
Skoda’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the Enyaq iV medium SUV (below), is set to open for orders in Australia in the second half of 2023, ahead of a start of production before the end of next year, and first Australian arrivals in 2024.
Both traditional ‘wagon’ and sportier ‘Coupe’ body styles will be launched in Australia, at the same time – twins to the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 respectively.
Meanwhile, new-for-Australia brand Cupra is planning to begin building its first electric car, the Born electric hatchback, for Australia later this year, ahead of first showroom arrivals early next year.
Volkswagen ID tech spec deep dive
With a shared MEB electric platform under the skin, there’s a lot in common between the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID. Buzz beneath the sheetmetal.
A range of electric powertrains are common across the trio:
| Model designation | Battery size, usable (total) | Motor output | 0-100km/h time | WLTP range (approx.) |
| ID.3 Pure Performance | 45kWh (55kWh) | 110kW/310Nm | 8.9s | 348km |
| ID.4 Pure | 52kWh (62kWh) | 109kW/220Nm | 10.9s | 343km |
| ID.4 Pure Performance | 52kWh (62kWh) | 125kW/310Nm | 9.0s | 343km |
| ID.3 Pro | 58kWh (62kWh) | 107kW/310Nm | 9.6s | 425km |
| ID.3 Pro Performance | 58kWh (62kWh) | 150kW/310Nm | 7.3s | 425km |
| ID.4, ID.5 Pro | 77kWh (82kWh) | 128kW/310Nm | 10.4s | 512-544km |
| ID.4, ID.5 Pro Performance | 77kWh (82kWh) | 150kW/310Nm | 8.4-8.5s | 515km |
| ID.3 Pro S | 77kWh (82kWh) | 150kW/310Nm | 7.9s | 548km |
| ID.4, ID.5 GTX | 77kWh (82kWh) | 220kW/460Nm | 6.2-6.3s | 500-512km |
In Europe, the ID. Buzz people mover will launch with the 150kW/310Nm electric motor and 77kWh battery, offering up to 424km of claimed range.
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