Volkswagen’s ID family of electric cars is closer to having a new sibling with the release of the ID.Aero concept Monday. While the car shown is a pre-production version, VW released specifications for the coupe-profile sedan (which has an expected production date of next year), so it’s likely the final version will be similarly styled.
The ID.Aero’s slick styling and coupe-like profile is touted as having an low drag coefficient of 0.23, which puts it on par with the Tesla Model 3’s aerodynamic efficiency. (For another point of comparison, the currently-on-sale electric Volkswagen ID.4 crossover has a 0.28 coefficient of drag.) Volkswagen says the ID.Aero will be equipped with a 77-kWh battery, targeted for 385 miles of range in European WLTP testing. The car is underpinned by the same MEB modular architecture that underpins the rest of the ID lineup, including the ID.Buzz van. The company plans for the ID.Aero to be on sale in China in late 2023, with a European sale date shortly thereafter; VW mentions that Americans will get the ID.Aero, but the specific date wasn’t announced.
As I looked through the teaser images, I spotted a striking resemblance to Volkswagen’s previous flagship sedan—the gas-powered, turbocharged Arteon. The ID.Aero has different styling cues in its grille, backlit flush door handles, and patterned lights that are more evocative of the rest of VW’s electrified lineup, but the overall silhouette is unmistakably close to the five-door, coupe-like Arteon sedan, which was a stunning car that made it to production. Overall, I would argue the similarity bodes well for the ID.Aero actually looking close to this pre-production concept when it finally hits roads around the globe.
The one major difference from the Arteon, unfortunately, is that the ID.Aero is “almost five meters [16.4 feet] long” and rides on 22-inch wheels, which means it’s quite bit bigger than the already-dramatically proportioned, 16-foot long Arteon (which is pictured on 20-inch wheels above). Size notwithstanding, sedan lovers can at least rejoice that the electric future hasn’t decided everything with a battery pack needs to be a crossover.
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