Volkswagen has committed to building the ID.4 at its Chattanooga, with production starting this year with the 2023 year model. However, the German carmaker has confirmed the ID.4 made on American soil will also come in a new variant equipped with smaller batteries, which should help reduce the price of the base version.
Volkswagen already announced new features, including bidirectional charging and Plug & Charge, were coming to the ID.4 later this year.
The new battery pack is 62 kWh in capacity, significantly smaller than the 82 kWh pack in the versions currently being sold in the US. However, the new battery will still be larger than the smallest battery offered in Europe.
The current 82 kWh battery lasts 275 miles (442km) between charges, implying owners of the new ID.4 in the US can expect around 200 miles (321km) for the rear-wheel drive and less for the all-wheel drive.
However, even though the loss of range is not great, buyers of the base version may appreciate the price cut. AutoBlog estimates the ID.4 to start at $35,000 in the US before incentives, making it very competitive against other electric SUVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Nissan Ariya, all of which start at around $40,000. It may also help Volkswagen boost the sales of the ID.4, which dropped over 71 percent in Q2 2022, likely due to small shipments of the electric SUV coming from Europe.
Other versions of the American ID.4 may also see price cuts as Volkswagen no longer needs to import them from Germany. However, the company may simply decide to pocket more profit.
