Volkswagen Global HQ to give greenlight for ID 4 India launch in May

Volkswagen India has been testing the ID 4 for the better part of a year now. However, its launch is yet to be greenlit by Volkswagen’s global headquarters, and this is likely to be confirmed by May.

Speaking to Autocar India at the annual brand conference in Kochi, Ashish Gupta, brand director at Volkswagen India, said “it’s a matter of when and not if” the ID 4 will come to India. He mentioned that “the ID 4 is a product which is available globally and its platform is ready.” Gupta added that testing and validation of EVs in India takes time.

Volkswagen ID 4 evaluation for India
We had reported in 2020 that Volkswagen is evaluating launching the ID 4 in 2022. However, due to COVID-19-related supply issues and the new battery safety norms in India, the launch timelines for the electric crossover have been long drawn out. The EV has since been spotted testing in India on multiple occasions for the past year.

Volkswagen ID 4 India evaluation factors
Gupta mentions that “India in the Volkswagen world is classified as hot and humid with rough road conditions. So, any platform to be launched in India needs to undergo extensive testing for our conditions.”

In addition to the costs involved in testing a new product for India, Gupta says the time required to test the product plays a bigger role. The engineers at Volkswagen need to look at various aspects of the car before it is deemed worthy for Indian conditions, as, according to Gupta, “they cannot take a risk for a car like this”.

As Gupta mentioned the rough road conditions in India, Volkswagen would need to fine tune the suspension system on the ID 4 to better suit our infrastructure. Additionally, it also takes time to assemble the parts and packages for CKD kits that are exported to other markets.

Sources tell us that the new battery safety norms, AIS 038 Rev 2, are another reason for the hold-up of the launch of the ID 4. These new norms were implemented in two phases – the first on December 1, 2022 and the second on March 31, 2023. These new safety norms mandate more safety requirements with respect to individual testing of each cell, battery management system (BMS), onboard chargers, thermal propagation as well as radiation generation.

Volkswagen ID 4 expected price and powertrain
Volkswagen to foray into EVs in India with the ID 4 and it is likely to get the ID 4 GTX, which is expected to be priced north of Rs 50 lakh. This high-performance model uses one electric motor at the front axle and one on the rear. Combined, it produces 299hp and 460Nm of torque. The ID 4 GTX houses a 77kWh battery that has a claimed range of up to 480km on a single charge.

Volkswagen EV plans for India
The ID 4 will be brought in with Volkswagen’s India 3.0 plan, which is all about electric mobility and will cover both completely built units (CBUs) as well as locally built EVs. Furthermore, Volkswagen is also evaluating bringing the new ID.2all to India, but it could take a while since its global launch is scheduled for late 2025 or 2026.