German carmaker Volkswagen is planning to launch its electric SUV, the ID.4, in India next year as part of its push to expand its electric vehicle (EV) offerings globally. The company aims to compete with other EV manufacturers in the Indian market, such as Tata Motors, Kia, and Ola Electric. The Volkswagen ID.4 is based on the company’s modular electric drive platform and is currently sold in various markets around the world, including Europe, the US, and China. The ID.4 is expected to be positioned as a premium offering in India’s EV market and is likely to be priced around Rs 40 lakh ($54,000). The launch of the ID.4 in India is part of Volkswagen’s broader push into the country’s EV market, which is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. The company plans to invest $1.5 billion in India over the next few years, with a focus on developing EV infrastructure and localizing production of its EV models. In addition to the ID.4, Volkswagen is also expected to launch other EV models in India in the coming years, including the ID.3 hatchback and the upcoming ID.6 SUV. The company is also expected to collaborate with Indian automaker Tata Motors on the development of EVs.
The move to launch the ID.4 in India comes as other global automakers are also ramping up their efforts to enter the country’s growing EV market. In recent months, automakers such as Tesla, Ford, and Hyundai have all announced plans to launch their EV models in India in the near future. The electric SUV will be based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which is a dedicated electric vehicle platform that the company has developed. The platform is capable of offering a range of up to 500 km on a single charge, and it is also scalable, which means that it can be used to build vehicles of different sizes and types.
The electric SUV will be launched in India under the Volkswagen brand, and it will be locally produced at the company’s manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. Volkswagen has already announced an investment of €1 billion (approximately $1.2 billion) to set up a production facility for its MEB platform in India, which will have an initial capacity of 200,000 units per year.
The launch of the electric SUV in India is part of Volkswagen’s global strategy to shift towards electric vehicles. The company has set a target of selling one million electric vehicles per year by 2025, and it plans to achieve this target by launching a range of electric vehicles in different markets around the world. In India, Volkswagen will be competing with other established players in the electric vehicle market, such as Tata Motors, which has already launched its Nexon EV, and Kia, which plans to launch its electric SUV in India later this year. Volkswagen will also face competition from new players in the market, such as Ola Electric, which plans to launch its electric scooter in India soon and is also working on an electric car.