Volkswagen’s ID.7 EV is a sleek sedan with 300+mile range

Volkswagen (VWAGY) debuted its newest EV for the masses — and in a surprising body style.

Instead of the ubiquitous crossover SUV that has taken over the automotive landscape, VW went with a sedan with a mid-size footprint for the ID.7 EV. The sedan design gives the car a sportier look and a lower cabin profile for better aerodynamic efficiency.

“Our focus continues to be SUVs, but obviously the sedan market represents 16% of the total market in the US,” Pablo Di Si, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America, said in an interview with Yahoo Finance (video above). “And bringing the ID.7 with its all-new leather premium interior, 300 plus range — in 2024 it is the right approach to take for VW.”

The sedan body style does lend itself better for a car targeting a more upmarket, premium feel as Volkswagen calls it. More soft-touch materials, leather seating, deviated stitching and integrated lighting on dash, and softer, more comfortable seats elevate the ID.7 to “halo-car” status in the VW lineup. And in a twist, the trunk actually has a hatchback design, giving the car more utility for those looking for enclosed cargo area.

Range too was a big issue that Volkswagen wanted to address, with the automaker targeting up to 700 kilometers (434 miles) of range using the European WLTP system. Volkswagen is estimating the EPA will give it a range of over 300 miles here in the US.

“With 82 kilowatt hours [battery] and the design of this car, we believe that we'll get there,” Di Si said about the targeted 300+ mile range. He said he's heard consumer complaints about charging, and range is of course the best way to alleviate that. As such, VW and its charging partner Electrify America are aiming to double the amount of DC fast chargers in the next two years, to 7,000 chargers.

Volkswagen says a new EV motor will power the car, producing up to 282 horsepower (210 kW). The ID.7 will come with two battery pack configurations, the 82 kWh pack as mentioned above, and a smaller 77 kWh battery.

Di Si says the ID.7 goes back to the brand’s DNA, which stands for premium quality and technology. VW said the car's construction, materials, and tech are state of the art, including a 15.4-inch widescreen touchscreen, new UI, plus fresher animations and higher resolution for depicting information. And in a first for the design, VW says the ID.7 will include augmented reality (AR) tech that will project info on the windshield in 3D, giving the car a unique feature that even Tesla can’t match.

This and other tech will then trickle down the range of VW EVs in the future, starting with the ID.7. By next year the ID.4 crossover (currently on sale), the ID.buzz minivan, and the ID.7 will round out VW’s EV portfolio. But there is more to come.

“By 2030, we're going to launch 25 electric vehicles for the Volkswagen Group family, and we aim to get 10% market share in the US by 2030,” Di Si said. “So I think we are at the right time with the right products in the US, and we need to have a really huge product offensive.”

The ID.7 will be available for sale in Europe and China later this year, and in North America in 2024. Pricing for the ID.7 has yet to be announced.

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Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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