Volkswagen has always been successful in differentiating its vehicles with common platforms. Our question is how it will keep doing so with electric cars. After Seat presented the el-Born, its version for the VW ID.3, we already pointed out they will be very similar. The story repeats itself with the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron. If it had a different badge, you could call it VW ID.4.
The Chinese Ministry of Industry, Information, Technology (MIIT) revealed all details about VW’s electric crossover coupe apart from pricing. Based on that information, we can say the Q4 Sportback e-tron concept is pretty close to the ID.4 in dimensions.
While the ID.4 is 4.59 m long, 1.85 m wide, and 1.63 m tall, the Audi is 4.60 m long, 1.90 m wide, and 1.60 m tall. The disparities could be credited to the fact that the Audi is a concept, with different bumpers and no door handles, for example. Regardless, both have a 2.77 m wheelbase and are built over MEB, the modular electric platform VW has developed.
One important way to differentiate both vehicles is to give the Audi a more premium feel. Giving it more range would also be a good strategy, but that is not going to happen. According to the company, the Q4 Sportback e-tron has an 82-kWh battery pack. The ID.4 will have a similar one, with 77 kWh usable capacity. The rest will be for buffering.
Having a concept presented while Volkswagen is about to sell its version of the electric crossover seems to be an industrial capacity matter above all else. The ID.4 is already being produced in China. In the US, it will be made in Chattanooga. In Europe, its manufacturing will happen at the Emden plant, which just started its conversion to EV production. We expect the Audi and the VW will be made in the same plants, hence the delay.