Volkswagen begins production of the ID.4 model.
Volkswagen’s electric crossover SUV, the ID.4, is now being built at the German automaker’s auto plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
It’s the company’s first EV to be produced in the US and signals that a cheaper version of the ID.4 is on the horizon.
VW says it plans to increase production at its Chattanooga facility to 7,000 vehicles per month “later this year,” with a goal of even more vehicles per month in 2023. First customer deliveries are expected in October 2022.
The ID.4 is VW’s most popular EV, having delivered 190,000 vehicles to customers worldwide by its 2021 launch.
VW CEO Herbert Diess, who will step down in September , said in May 2022 that the company has “sold all electric vehicles in Europe and the US” for this year.
VW said starting production of the ID.4 in Chattanooga should help with its supply woes.
The company has “a large number of backlogs for the ID.4 model at present and localized assembly should help us fulfill these orders,” a spokesman said.
Price is another reason why this news is important. When the ID.4 was first introduced in 2020, the base model ID.4 was set to start at $40,000, which later rose to $41,230.
The company said it wanted US-made ID.4 models to start at $35,000 – or $27,500 including tax. However, it is not yet known exactly; the VW spokesman said the price will be announced soon.