The new ID 4 is understood to be known internally as the ‘electric Tiguan’, hinting at a move to present the two similarly sized SUVs as siblings.
The company has not confirmed that it will change the electric model’s name, but Schäfer previously suggested that the Tiguan badge would always have a place in VW’s portfolio – even as it goes all-electric.
He said: “We’re not going to throw away the traditional, successful names that have carried us for so long, like Golf and Tiguan. Why would you let them go?”
Above the ID 4, Autocar has been told Volkswagen has decided it will retire the ID 5 from its line-up. Launched in 2021 as a more sporting, coupéstyled sister model to the more upright ID 4, it was primarily aimed at the Chinese market but failed to gain traction there. In Europe, too, it has been overshadowed by the more practical ID 4. It was never offered for sale in the US market.
Its planned cancellation, set to take effect in 2027, forms part of broader efforts to streamline the line-up and concentrate on highvolume models.
2028 to be a pivotal year
Potentially one of the biggest years for VW’s growth in sales of EVs will be 2028, when its most famous badge finally gets fully electrified.
The electric Golf, currently under development at the company’s Braunschweig R&D centre in Germany, will be the first VW model sold in the UK based on the company’s new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP).
It will use an 800V electrical architecture and feature more advanced battery technology, faster charging and more advanced software functions, marking a signifi cant technological step forward from today’s MEB-based models.
Grünitz previously told Autocar that the real benefit of the new architecture was that it was “highly flexible and highly updateable”.
He added: “With over-the-air updates, I can introduce new functionality to our customers even after they bought the car, without them needing to bring it in for a service. That means it’s really the next step.”