VW’s ID 4 EV is Now Assembled in Chattanooga

For those who’re the kind of shopper who offers precedence to US-made merchandise, as of right this moment you possibly can add Volkswagen’s ID 4 to the listing. Nicely, to the listing of merchandise assembled within the US, anyway. VW right this moment delivered on its long-pledged promise to convey EV manufacturing to its Chattanooga, TN manufacturing facility, with the primary automobiles rolling off the road now forward of anticipated October deliveries. It joins different American-assembled EVs like Tesla’s sedans and SUVs, GM’s Bolt household, the Nissan Leaf and the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq.

Plans for this have been introduced approach again at first of 2019, with VW making an $800M funding into its Chattanooga facility to allow manufacturing of what again then was nonetheless referred to as the ID Crozz. Immediately, US-made ID 4s will use parts “primarily” sourced from North America, together with Alabama metal and Georgia battery packs from SK Innovation. 

One thing needed to go to make room for ID 4 manufacturing, and sadly that one thing was the Passat. VW’s venerable sedan was simply certainly one of many four-doors put to pasture over the previous few years as shoppers demand increasingly more crossover SUVs. With that, Chattanooga turns into the sixth facility globally able to producing VW’s MEB-based EVs, a platform that features the not-for-US ID 3 and the long-awaited ID Buzz. 

First flavors of ID 4 constructed within the US can be all- or rear-wheel-drive with the bigger 82-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The promised, extra reasonably priced, 62 kWh model continues to be on the right track for subsequent 12 months. No pricing on that but, however we’re hoping it’s going to fall someplace within the mid-$30k vary.