At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Volkswagen is teasing show goers silly with an artfully camouflaged and soon to be fully revealed Volkswagen ID.7 flagship electric sedan. The ID.7 will be the latest model to join the Volkswagen EV family in North America including the ID.4 crossover and the soon to be launched ID.Buzz micro-bus.
Its camouflage sedan features a digital graphic over special paint allowing 22 separate regions of the car to light up differently. Making it all work are 40 layers of paint, some conductive and others with thermal properties.
While the ID.7 is fully wrapped and painted in a digitally beguiling light show, we can look to the Volkswagen Aero Concept Car shown last year to get a pretty clear glimpse of what it will look like. Volkswagen is known for sticking pretty close to concept when they move to production.
Styling is familiar and predictable Volkswagen DNA in both its facial and hind quarter features and in its overall lines and crease work. Somewhat new is the extended glass area at the rear three-quarter zone of the green house, opening up the cabin to more light.
Based on the same Volkswagen MEB architecture that underpins the ID.4 and ID.Buzz, the ID.7 is one of 10 new electric models to launch before 2026 world wide. A flagship model, it will feature a 116.9 wheelbase and a foot print nearly 200-inches long.
This makes it longer than the ID.4 in wheelbase and length by some 8-inches, and about 6-inches longer than a Volkswagen Passat. This allows for more advantageous packaging and battery which is expected to have a range to exceed 400 miles.
Powering the ID.7 will be motor units similar to that which we already see in the ID.4 which is available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive. That car has up to 295 horsepower and 339 lb-ft of torque. It’s likely the ID.7 will offer this or better.
Showing off at CES, Volkswagen however is really highlighting its consumer goodies like a large 15-inch center screen infotainment system and an augmented reality head-up display that bring the level of digital interaction with drivers and passengers to a new level.
The ID.7 features an HVAC system and “smart vents” that can automatically direct air to the passengers when it’s detected they are present. When the car is pre-cooling or pre-heating the cabin before they arrive it knows to distribute air more thoroughly in the cabin.
The voice activated system can even take special requests. If the driver says “Hello Volkswagen, my hands are cold!”, it can respond by turning on the heated steering wheel heating function and turning the vents toward the drivers hands.
Volkswagen intends to fully reveal the all-new ID.7 flagship EV sedan this spring. It will be sold in China, Europe and in North America. European market models will be built in Emden, Germany. They have not stated where models for China and the U.S. market will be built.
