VW ID.4 to target Toyota RAV4, not Tesla

Volkswagen’s all-electric SUV, the ID.4, will offer “a lot of what Tesla offers at a much lower price point”, but won’t be targeting Elon Musk’s customers, with the target instead locked on mainstream offerings such as the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-30.

While that’s likely at least partly because Tesla customers are so rusted-on you’d need a crowbar to remove them, the main driver for VW is the fact that success in this segment hinges on luring traditional SUV shoppers into their first EV, with a much larger customer base ripe for the picking.

“For me, that’s how we go through, this is how we really open electrification to millions of people,” VW’s American executive vice president of sales and marketing, Duncan Movassaghi, told local media.

“While we have certainly looked to Tesla for customer experience inspiration, we certainly don’t see their customer base as our playground.”

Touted as a true global car, likely to include Australia, Volkswagen is targeting a sub-$50,000 starting price for its EV SUV, which will be revealed in full on September 23, with USA reservations – including a $100 deposit scheme – beginning that same day. The ID.4 is then expected to begin overseas deliveries in late 2020 or early 2021.

The earliest the ID.4 will arrive in Australia is 2022.

Despite production having already begun on the ID.4, we’re still awaiting final details. That said, VW has promised single- and dual-motor setups, which will unlock rear- and all-wheel drive, and a driving range of up to 500km. There will likely be plenty of similarities between the ID.4 and the just-revealed Skoda Enyaq iV, which utilises the same MEB electric architecture.