It was only last week when Automotive News Europe wrote about Volkswagen’s plan to turn the ID Vizzion into a 435-mile production EV and now we’re hearing rumors of a higher-specification electric sedan. It doesn’t have a name just yet, but ANE has heard the more sophisticated eco-friendly car will be positioned above the Vizzion to take on the Tesla Model S.
A source close to the matter claims it will be built at home in Wolfsburg, Germany where VW is looking to make major investments to turn the factory into its EV manufacturing flagship. Even though the new model will be on the large side, the report says it will still ride on the MEB platform like the ID.3 and ID.4, albeit in an “evolved version” of the underpinnings.
Sticking to MEB will allow VW to avoid the higher costs commanded by the upcoming PPE architecture currently being developed by Audi and Porsche. It goes without saying the Group wants to avoid a clash between the mainstream VW brand and its luxury-focused marques, so we’re expecting this new EV to undercut similarly sized cars coming from Ingolstadt and Zuffenhausen.
With the road-going Vizzion (pictured below) expected to replace the Passat sedan, we can’t help but wonder whether this larger EV is the long-promised Phaeton replacement. VW’s head honcho, Herbert Diess, admitted nearly four years ago the success of the Model S forced the company to go back to the drawing board and re-engineer the large zero-emissions sedan. It appears the model is still on the agenda, but it’s likely not coming anytime soon.
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Chances are it will arrive after the Vizzion, which is scheduled to hit dealerships at some point in 2023. Automotive News says influential VW labor leader and member of the supervisory board Bernd Osterloh expressed his desire to have a Wolfsburg-built EV by 2025. His sentiments were echoed by VW Group board member Stephan Weil, and the electric sedan could also be built outside of Germany.
The source cited by Automotive News says total production output could reach 300,000 units annually if VW were to assemble the large electric sedan in China and the United States as well. “Think Model S” is how an insider characterized the mysterious new model, which was apparently approved for production in Wolfsburg by VW Group board members earlier this month.
Note: Top image depicts an official design sketch of the 2018 ID. Vizzion concept.