Volkswagen India to launch electric car: Details

Many automobile manufacturers are working on electric vehicles for the Indian market. Tata Motors, MG and Hyundai have already launched their electric vehicles. Even luxury manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Audi have their EQC and e-Tron GT. Now, Volkswagen has revealed that they are working on an electric vehicle for the Indian market. It could be based on the ID.Life Concept which was showcased at IAA 2021 in Munich. Other bigger ID models by Volkswagen could also make their way to India in the future.

Klaus Zellmer, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales- Volkswagen said, “We are transforming Volkswagen brand into electrifying the line-up. We come for all at once, we can’t build the platform for electrification while then extending our complexities of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) variants. We need to drive that down in order to be able to invest without increasing the cost into a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Then in the second half of this decade there will also be something we’ll offer in India.”

With stricter emission norms kicking in, manufacturers have to continuously work on their internal combustion engines. They have to develop new technologies and ways to reduce air pollution and sound pollution that the internal combustion engines emit. Klaus says that rather than investing in internal combustion engines, it makes more sense to invest in battery technology because electric vehicles are the future.

Also read: Tata Nexon goes off roading in the Himalayas (Video)

Speaking of the ID Life Concept, it uses a revised version of the MEB platform. The MEB platform is already being used by Cupra and Ceat. The wheelbase of the concept is shorter than the regular MEB platform. It measures around 2.65 metres which are close to the wheelbase of the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun. It has been designed as a compact crossover for urban use.

Because it is being aimed towards people who will be using it for daily city commutes, the motor is mounted in the front, so it is a front-wheel-drive vehicle. The motor is capable of producing 231 hp of max power and according to Volkswagen, it should hit a ton in under seven seconds. The range from the 57 kWh battery is expected to be somewhere around 400 km.

Volkswagen has taken a minimalistic approach to the interior. There is a yolk steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons on it. There is a digital instrument cluster and a mobile holder on the dashboard. The concept is using a lot of recyclable materials. Even the seat’s fabrics are made up of materials that have been recycled.

The German manufacturer aims to price the production version of the ID.Life Concept under €20,000 which, when converted is Rs. 17.3 lakhs. They are aiming to launch the production version by 2025. So, we can expect that the production version of the crossover to be priced higher than the Tata Nexon EV if they decide to manufacture it in India. However, if they bring it as a CKD or CBU then the prices will be competing against the MG ZS EV and the Hyundai Kona EV.

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