“As if shaped by the wind itself”: The exterior design of the new ID.4

Superior power, packaged in organic forms: the ID.4 is the first all-electric SUV from Volkswagen. Its exterior design clearly shows the dawn of the new era: it combines a powerful expression with flowing, organic forms and excellent aero-dynamic qualities.

With the ID.4, Volkswagen is expanding its offering by an all-electric vehicle in the largest segment worldwide - the compact SUV class. The car will in future be built and sold in Europe, China and later also in the US. Klaus Zyciora knows the character of the ID.4 like no-one else - the Head of Design for the Volkswagen Group designed the car together with his team.

“The ID.4 represents an electric design evolution,” says Zyciora. “Its exterior design is clean, flowing and powerful. It appears strong and self-confident in a new way. This is mainly due to the seamless, aerodynamic style of our ID. family, which we have transferred to the SUV segment for the first time with the ID.4. This means that gentle, soft transitions alternate with sharp, clear separating edges. The design looks as if shaped by the wind itself. At the same time, the modern look of the ID.4 can be seen by the characteristic headlights and the signature light between them.”

Good design is also always functional - in an electric vehicle, drag is a key factor for range. “The electric design evolution of the ID.4 also means that we have focused very strongly on the aerodynamics,” explains the Head of Volkswagen Design. The ID.4 achieves an excellent drag coefficient of 0.28. The most important factor for this is the flowing basic shape of the vehicle body and passenger compartment, which is significantly drawn in towards the rear. This is complemented by many precisely executed details. For instance, the bodies of the tail light clusters together with the large roof spoiler ensure that the air flow is cleanly separated.

As part of its “Transform 2025+” strategy, the Volkswagen brand will invest 11 billion euros in electric mobility by 2024. The ID.4, the first all-electric SUV from Volkswagen, is the second model based on the new modular electric drive matrix (MEB) following the ID.302. This platform is designed only for the electric drive system and offers a very spacious interior thanks to the compact design of the electric drive. Thanks to the low drag coefficient of 0.28 and scalable battery system, ranges of more than 500 kilometres (according to WLTP) are possible with the ID.4.

The new SUV will initially be launched with rear-wheel drive, and an electric all-wheel drive variant will follow at a later stage. The high-voltage battery is positioned in the sandwich-design underbody to create an optimum low centre of gravity for driving dynamics as well as extremely well-balanced axle load distribution.