The pressure at Volkswagen is great to get more electric cars on the road. Customers and dealers can therefore hardly wait until the new top model ID7 sees the light of day. It recently celebrated its premiere at Auto Shanghai and, as a sporty GTX version, is intended to attract new customers who have previously been poaching in the premium league.
Officially, the GTX signet stands for the sportiest Volkswagen models with electric drives. But with the ID4 and ID5, you drive far behind the competition with a manageable 200 kW / 299 hp in terms of engine performance. Similarly positioned models from China, the USA or Korea offer 500 hp or more in the same vehicle classes. That should change in the coming months. At the International Motor Show in Munich in mid-September, Volkswagen will pull the cloth from the new top model of the 4.96 meter long VW ID7 called GTX. It should not only offer ranges of well over 600 kilometers to the next charging stop, but also all-wheel drive and a significant performance boost.
While the normal ID7 variants are available with 82 and 91 kWh battery packs and a 210 kW / 286 hp rear-wheel drive, the GTX version is likely to offer the large battery pack and a motor on the front axle, which increases the total output to up to 250 kW / 340 hp. This means that the sportiest of all VW ID7s is still very well behind competing models such as Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 or Nio ET5. The models from the Hyundai Group in particular remain a thorn in the side of the Wolfsburg-based company, because the Kia EV6 or the Hyundai Ioniq 5 / Ioniq 6 offer a range of services up to the 600 hp limit. The VW ID7, even as a sporty GTX version, cannot catch up when it comes to charging. Depending on the drive variant, the charging speed should be between 170 and 200 kilowatts; However, the competition here is on the move with up to 250 kilowatts, which noticeably shortens the charging process, especially over long distances thanks to the 800-volt on-board network. Designers and developers alike are proud of the low drag value of 0.23, which is just behind the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Nio ET5, which were able to achieve 0.21.
As standard, the VW ID7 GTX offers a black roof finish and tinted windows from the B-pillar. In the interior, fine materials and red contrasting seams on the doors, seats and panels should ensure a sporty claim. It remains to be hoped that, unlike the previous ID models in Europe, the ID7 will also be available with fine leather seats in order to keep up with the international competition. The GTX version of the VW ID7 will celebrate its official premiere at the International Motor Show in Munich in autumn. The price should start at around 70,000 euros.
Source: Stern
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
