Don’t you just hate it when someone else spoils a surprise? We don't. But that probably was the reaction earlier this week in Wolfsburg, Germany, when Volkswagen executives discovered that images of the company’s forthcoming large eSUV, the ID.6, had been disclosed by a Chinese government agency. Multiple news sources report that the unofficial ID.6 pictures were discovered on the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology website in conjunction with a Volkswagen regulatory filing.
ID.6: VW’s Three-Row eSUV
Based on the ID Roomzz concept vehicle that VW revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2019, the ID.6 will be its three-row eSUV for the Chinese market. While the ID.6 bears a familial resemblance to the other EVs in Volkswagen’s lineup, like the ID.3 and ID.4, the blunt front end and large amounts of flat sheet metal appear in stark contrast to the company’s sleeker, and more attractive, EV stablemates.
Production Specs For ID.6 Remain A Mystery
While VW hasn’t released final production specs for the ID.6, the ID Roomzz concept incorporated an 82 kWh battery reportedly good for a 280-mile range using the easier WLTP (World harmonized Light vehicle test Procedure) test standard. Combined, two-axle horsepower for this concept was reported at 302—a similar promised output as the upcoming AWD version of the compact ID.4 eSUV. The ID.4 is due to begin hitting U.S. roads this spring. The ID Buzz, a reincarnated Microbus in EV form, has been delayed to 2023.
Volkswagen has made no public comments on the release of the ID.6 images or if this eSUV will be available in other markets, including the U.S. But there is little from these images that would indicate any non-starters for the US market.
Source: China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Volkswagen