Featured Meet the Volkswagen ID.4: Finally, an electric SUV for you

First impression on seeing that is Rav4 is going to lose all its market share... At this point only thing in the way of that is VW's production numbers which they may not be able to ramp up fast enough.

 

Says a electric SUV for you. Maybe, once they get around to delivering it over here. Who knows when that will be.

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Calm my friend. Let's wait until they show up in the EPA 'Test Car Database.'

Bob Wilson

 

We’ll have to see, but I’ll give them a 70% chance they’ll get sales volumes up to Tesla-Model-3-like volumes.

 

I am encouraged that they say it will be a 50 state rollout

 

That’s easier in the case of EVs, in that they don’t have to deal with different emissions requirements. But yes, I’m glad they’re not treating it as a compliance car when it’s obviously for more than that.

 

I don't see how this is better than the Chevy Bolt that is available today with significant discounts. About the same range, a little more interior room, unproven technology.

 

As a Rav4 hybrid owner, I do find it interesting but for me I say no thanks. We took a road trip from Colorado to see family in Portland. Because of Covid we did 650-700 miles per day at 80-85 mph in order to just stay one night in a hotel. How would that have gone in the I.D. 4?.

That estimated 250 mile range is ideal but who is going to drain the battery to near zero before charging. Actual range will be much lower in Winter. Buyers will have to carefully consider their situation. Maybe if we had another good road vehicle.

It may take some market from Rav4, CR-V, etc but all? I don't believe so.

 

it's almost as though they feel compelled to do penance for the dieselgate fiasco, polluting so many folks' pulmonary systems. 50-state rollout means they've also had to secure battery sources for traction packs - which is excellent.
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Perhaps they are equal in all of those ways- some people will trust and prefer VW over GM anyway. I'd be one of them.

 

Yes, they desperately need a winner and this could be it.

For all vehicle companies going electric, developing and ramping up the battery supply chain is crucial. How will VW do?

According to a Japanese car mag, battery production has hampered release of the Rav4 Prime:

"Panasonic makes a lot of batteries for Tesla, so it seems that Toyota thought that selling the RAV4 PHV would not be a big number. However, when they started production for the RAV4 PHV, it didn't go as expected. Many batteries did not reach the required quality, far below the target production volume, and became a bottleneck for RAV4 PHV production."

 

Another reason I am hesitant to go all electric is that a lot of money is being put into battery development. If Elon Musk is right, Teslas will have much better batteries in 3 years. How much will 2020 Teslas be worth then?

I've been an early adopter before but not this time.

 

If VW rolled it up on my driveway and handed me the keys, I'd get the flamethrower out. Never again.

 

As if any car you buy isn't obsoleted by the version to come 3 years later. My '19 lacks features the 2021s now have.

I buy a car maybe every 8 years not because the old car is worn out, but because of the accumulated new features. And many of those features are safety features. I tend also to get a car that is different from the one I will retire. Mini-van to a Porsche to a CRV to a Prius v to a Rav4.

 

First impression of the exterior aesthetics: the wheels are gynormous/pimpy, out of character for VW, doubly so for a fuel efficient model. Lots of work to keep clean, and replacement tires a pretty penny.

The rest of the vehicle looks more VW'ish, looks good. Maybe the wheels will change on production vehicles?

 

And it would look and ride plenty good on 65-series rubber on 17" rims at half the cost.

 

It is one thing for features to become "outdated" but resale value is impacted significantly when electric vehicles range is seen as poor relative to what's out there.