Watch out Tesla Model 3: Volkswagen teases ID.7 in Vegas

Thursday, 5 January 2023

Volkswagen has whipped the covers off its fully electric ID.7 sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with a detailed and elaborate rainbow ‘wrap’ leaving little to the imagination.

The ID.7 lines up as Volkswagen’s answer to the Tesla Model 3. While the market for internal combustion engine sedans is in rapid decline, the EV sedan market appears to be trucking along nicely – perhaps in part because of how the slick sedan shape is more conducive to high range figures.

The ID.7 is effectively a slightly nipped and tucked production version of the ID. AERO 3 concept that Volkswagen showed off last year. There are some slight revisions that can be spotted (the ID.7 appears to have lost the full-width LED daytime running light, for example), the two models appear to share plenty of aesthetic similarities.

The ID.7 can travel up to 700km on a charge, according to Volkswagen.

Volkswagen has yet to detail the ID.7’s exact mechanicals. What we do know is that it’s built on the brand’s MEB+ architecture. Volkswagen expects it to be capable of an astounding 700km of range based on the WLTP cycle, potentially making it one of the most capable EVs on the market if they can pull it off.

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It is a smidge larger than its chief rivals, the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6.

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The ID.7 is some 94mm longer than a Model 3, and 20mm longer than the other hot up-and-coming fully electric sedan in the works; the Hyundai Ioniq 6. With tight overhangs and a long wheelbase, expect the ID.7 to come with a practical interior, too.

Speaking of, Volkswagen has issued images of what the ID.7 looks like inside (yes, free of any garish teaser wrap shenanigans). The largely minimalist dashboard is led by a 15-inch touchscreen paired to a digital cluster and an augmented reality head-up display.

Those who aren’t fans of Volkswagen’s haptic feedback steering wheel controls introduced on the current Golf and Tiguan probably won’t be pleased to see them featured here. The brand is also bringing back the touch sliders for volume and air conditioning temperature underneath the touchscreen.

The German marque has placed particular emphasis on one new interior feature called ‘Smart Air Vents’. It says that ID.7s will be able to recognise the driver from their key and can enact that driver’s favoured aircon temperature and fan speeds before they hop in.

“With the new ID.7, we are extending our electric model range into the upper segments,” said chief executive Thomas Schäfer. “The sedan will offer top-class technology and quality. The ID.7 is one of ten new electric models that we are planning to launch by 2026. Our goal? To deliver suitable products for our customers in every single segment.”

I guess we can’t forget to talk about the ID.7’s crazy wrap. Well, first and foremost, it’s not a wrap – it’s actually 40 layers of paint. The different profiles of different layers allows them to be separately controlled and electrified by the top layer of electroluminescence.

One of the means of control available is music, with Volkswagen showing in its video how the unique paint scheme can react to a song’s beat and baseline. It’s funky, but don’t expect it to appear as a no-cost option come ordering time.