CES 2023: VW ID.7 is spiritual successor to the Phaeton

In recent years, the CES in Las Vegas has increasingly become a stage for upcoming highlights in the automotive industry. It is therefore not surprising that we will once again be able to admire new vehicles at the technology trade show in the Nevada desert in 2023. Volkswagen will also be represented. The traditional German company wants to bring its in-house e-car series into the luxury class with the VW ID.7.

VW ID.7 attacks the luxury class

Yesterday we already reported on the CES presentation of the electric car jointly developed by Sony and Honda. But VW, a traditional automaker, also unveiled an upcoming vehicle. The VW ID.7 is meant to fill the gap left by the Phaeton. With its length of over five meters, the upcoming electric car already indicates that it could potentially be a government vehicle. The fact that the VW ID.7 was developed for chauffeuring is also made clear by the wheelbase of 2.97 meters, as this speaks for a spacious interior.

It’s certainly fun to sit in the back seat here. VW’s upcoming locking top unfortunately showed a bit of restraint at its Las Vegas unveiling. Thus, the electric car was shown with a film covering the entire body. Therefore, only the rough shapes can be seen so far. Unfortunately, the technical data is no different.

Again, VW is still shrouding itself in silence. The automotive group from Lower Saxony is only talking about the fact that MEB+ will be a further development of the existing modular electric kit. This is expected to deliver one thing above all: more power. For example, the VW ID.7 should be able to offer a range of up to 700 km. Since the batteries of the MEB platform only makes a maximum of 77 kWh capacity possible, one must probably assume a significant increase in capacity.

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Interior with a luxurious face

VW promises innovations not only in the platform, but also in the battery technology itself. Thus, one wants to put the components of the batteries in a different mixing ratio. The focus here is on reducing cobalt and manganese. This should not only be good for the environment, but also ensure a faster charging speed. The Wolfsburg company promises over 200 kW, which is 30 kW above the current maximum.

The fact that this is supposed to be an upper-class electric car also becomes clear when looking at the interior. Here, everything looks very classy, which is probably due in particular to the revised instrument cluster. In order to ensure a pleasant drive even on hot days, the VW ID.7 will also feature a revised air conditioning system. So it’s not just new air vents that are at work here. On top of that, the vehicle is supposed to start air conditioning automatically when the driver approaches.

Sales launch later this year

Although VW’s new luxury-class model is still hidden behind lots of foil, it is still scheduled to go on sale in 2023. The automotive group is targeting a summer sales launch for its VW ID.7 on the Chinese, U.S. and European markets. However, it is still unclear at what price the new top model will be launched.