Intended in part for the American market, the ID.7, a sequel to the Aero concept, made its first appearance in Las Vegas.
Automakers love CES in Las Vegas, especially when it allows them to speak directly to the American public. Volkswagen made no mistake in choosing to unveil the culmination of its ID.Aero concept, the ID.7. The one that is supposed to become the electric Passat of the future should not be marketed with 2024, but CES 2023 was a unique opportunity to show itself, even somewhat camouflaged. Indeed, the American market is the first outlet for this type of sedan.
Indeed, visitors to the show will not have the chance to discover the final design of the sedan, but only its shapes and its interior. The camouflage that covers the bodywork will prolong the mystery for a few more months. In the meantime, it’s easy to guess what the ID.7 will be, that is, exactly what specialists expected from the electric version of the Passat. Concretely, it will be a large three-volume sedan (2.97 m wheelbase), larger than a Tesla Model 3 which it should however tackle.
Touch a little more tactile?
Built on the MEB platform, it promises up to 700 km of autonomy (WLTP cycle). However, its technical part and in particular the engine have not yet been revealed. What VW did show, however, was part of the interior of its electric sedan. This is very interesting insofar as it is supposed to correct the ergonomic errors of the brand’s latest productions. Indeed, Thomas Schäfer, the boss of Volkswagen, had taken note of the many criticisms with regard to the software part of the VW and in particular at the level of the capacitive touch controls which are not very efficient in use.
The photo of the ID.7’s dashboard does not confirm any return to the buttons. The main control interface will likely be touch-based, via the large 15-inch infotainment screen in the center. As for the air conditioning controls, they seem quite identical to the much-maligned ones. Unless VW has found a solution to make the whole thing more pleasant to use, which can only be confirmed in a future test. Finally, behind the wheel, the instrumentation screen is more discreet to make way for a head-up display with augmented reality navigation.
The ID.7 therefore makes a rather surprising first appearance, not so much on the location chosen as on what it has wanted to show to the public. There is no doubt that VW’s communication should continue in the coming months until 2024 and the marketing of its first 100% electric sedan.
