VW starts ID.4 production in Tennessee, promising cheaper EVs - The Verge

VW is kicking off production of the ID.4 electric SUV at its factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The localized production will help make the ID.4 more affordable when vehicles start rolling out later this year.

The Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover SUV is now being built at the German automaker’s vehicle factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’s the company’s first EV to be manufactured in the US and signals that a more affordable version of the ID.4 is on the horizon.

VW says it plans on ramping up production at its Chattanooga facility to 7,000 vehicles per month “later this year,” with the goal of making even more vehicles per month in 2023. The first customer deliveries are expected in October 2022.

The ID.4 is VW’s most popular EV, having delivered 190,000 vehicles to customers globally since its release in 2021. VW CEO Herbert Diess, who is stepping down in September, said in May 2022 that the company was “basically sold out on electric vehicles in Europe and in the United States” for the year.

VW said that kicking off ID.4 production in Chattanooga should help with its supply problems. The company has “a robust number of reservations for the ID.4 currently and localized assembly should help us to fulfill those orders,” a spokesperson said.

Pricing is another reason why this news is significant. Back when the ID.4 was first announced in 2020, the base model ID.4 was set to start at $40,000, which later went up to $41,230. The company said it wanted its US-made ID.4s to start at $35,000 — or $27,500 with the federal tax credit. Whether that’s still the case, though, is still unknown; the VW spokesperson said pricing will be announced soon.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/26/23277968/vw-id4-chattanooga-tn-production-factory-price

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