Author: Nie Yi Yao
On the night of March 25th, at the Shanghai Bund International Esports Culture Center, a spotlight party was lit for the launch of Volkswagen’s first MEB platform all-new electric SUV – ID.4 X. At the same time, Chen Xianzhang, the general manager of SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., delivered ID.4 X to the first batch of car owners present at the scene.
Aside from the lively support of brand spokesperson Liu Yifei, Pikachu-themed dolls, and the band, my gaze falls more on this new electric car itself. In the fiercely competitive Chinese pure electric vehicle market, what makes ID.4 X unique and attractive to Chinese users compared to its competitors? Will ID.4 X, as its slogan “light up the light in your heart” suggests, light up SAIC Volkswagen’s new journey in pure electric vehicles?
ID.4 X, This time is really different
Unlike Volkswagen’s previous models of gasoline to electric cars, ID.4 X comes from Volkswagen’s expensive new MEB pure electric platform. The advantage of the MEB platform over the gasoline to electric platform mainly lies in the ability to allow the vehicle to have higher space utilization, more flexible battery layout, lower center of gravity, better load distribution, and high integration, achieving four-wheel drive and other features.
Therefore, from ID.4 X’s appearance, it can be seen that the four wheels of this mid-size SUV are very close to the four corners of the vehicle, thus obtaining a larger internal seating space, a flat rear floor, and a large-capacity trunk.
Unlike ordinary battery applications, ID.4 X is equipped with two types of 57.3 kWh and 83.4 kWh ternary lithium batteries. Official data show that the range can reach 402 km-555 km, supporting 30-minute fast charging from 30% to 80%, and the ability to travel 100 km with a 10-minute charge. At the same time, the battery pack has undergone 338 ultra-national standard safety tests.
The biggest difference lies in the use of design language. Unlike the serious styling of Volkswagen’s gasoline vehicles, ID.4 X uses the “Lighting Sign Language” design language, emphasizing visual light perception and technological experience, making ID.4 X very dynamic and lively. If ID.4 X is compared to the event’s theme mascot Pikachu, they really have a similar cute and lively feel.The LED “beauty eyes” on both sides of the front face shoot straight into the headlights, which Liu Yifei calls “beauty eyes”, and they do look similar upon closer inspection. A dynamic horizontal light strip connects these “beauty eyes” together, and when combined with the enclosed grille that runs through the entire front, it looks more like a mischievous and cute “little devil face” with its mouth open and fangs bared.
The ID.4 X interior design does not adopt the current trend of multiple screens, but instead uses a 5.3-inch full LCD instrument panel, a 12-inch floating screen, and an augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD).
The AR-HUD can provide 10 meters of “far-sight” driving assistance information (turning indicators, lane departure, collision warning, following distance, pedestrian alert), and 2.5 meters of “close-range” vehicle indication information (vehicle speed, navigation information, traffic signs, driving information). The “far-sight” and “close-range” information are displayed on the upper and lower display areas of the windshield, which largely makes up for the small size of the dashboard.
At the same time, the ID.Light voice control system is equipped throughout the entire line, providing intelligent car-human communication. The specially designed welcome and goodbye light effects can make the vehicle exhibit skills such as “looking forward to your return” and “waiting for you to come back”. In Liu Yifei’s words, these details add to the technological atmosphere and ritual sense of driving.
In addition, the ID.4 X introduces the IQ.Drive automatic driving assistance technology and the Smart Car Connect system 4.0 to enhance the driving experience. According to officials, the ID.4 X is expected to receive OTA updates within this year to improve driving experience and add functions.
In response to SAIC Volkswagen’s recent safety issues, the company emphasizes that the ID.4 X adopts special high-strength body safety design to meet strict quality control requirements such as 12-year anti-corrosion and 0.2mm precision inspection. The vehicle has undergone cumulative road durability tests of over 3.5 million kilometers, making its safety and reliability trustworthy.
In terms of price, the ID.4 X is priced between 199,888 yuan and 272,888 yuan, with six different versions, aiming to enter the 200,000-300,000 yuan range of electric vehicle consumer market.
Meanwhile, SAIC Volkswagen also innovates its marketing model. In their own words, they will adopt a cloud direct sales agency marketing model with a unified national terminal price for the ID.4 X. This more transparent marketing model is clearly aimed at younger, more individualistic demographics.
Can the ID.4 X become famous with one battle?Volkswagen Group’s chairman, Diess, said in a recent media interview that “this year, Volkswagen Group plans to deliver 1 million electric vehicles and become the global leader in the electric vehicle market no later than 2025.”
The reason behind this is the skyrocketing sales of Volkswagen’s new energy vehicles in 2020, which grew from 84,000 in 2019 to 420,000 in 2020, second only to Tesla’s 499,000. Volkswagen’s new energy strategy and huge investment in research and development are beginning to pay off.
As a supercar company that has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for many years, Volkswagen understands the Chinese market and users very well. In the current domestic electric vehicle market at the 200,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan level, the ID.4 X’s distinctive design language and rich configuration make it very competitive. This, combined with Volkswagen’s targeting of gaps and countermeasures towards Tesla and domestic brands in the domestic electric vehicle market without preempting, showcases their market savviness.
At the same time, SAIC Volkswagen, as a powerful traditional car company, still holds the ace of thousands of marketing systems. These nationwide fuel vehicle dealers can provide after-sales service and rescue for the ID.4 X.
According to official sources of SAIC Volkswagen, before the ID.4 X was launched, SAIC Volkswagen had already completed the landing of more than 250 ID.4 X dealers, and this number will continue to expand in the future.
At the same time, its digital city exhibition halls have also landed in Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha and other places. In the next year and a half, nearly 50 city exhibition halls are expected to open in 29 cities nationwide.
From the convenience of marketing networks and after-sales service, SAIC Volkswagen will comprehensively crush new forces such as Tesla.
Moreover, SAIC Volkswagen is actively developing an online client to meet the online car purchasing experience and service that young users pursue. With the ID.4 X as a bargaining chip to please users, SAIC Volkswagen is clearly committed to providing the best customer experience.
However, after possessing the above advantages, can the ID.4 X really become famous in one battle? Yang Siyao, executive director of Volkswagen brand marketing at SAIC Volkswagen, has expressed the following sales expectations for the ID.4 X: “We hope to achieve a 9% market share of new energy vehicles by 2022.”If we take the sales of pure electric vehicles in China in 2020 as a baseline, which was 991,000 units, 9% would be nearly 90,000 units. Apart from Tesla, only Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV sold over 100,000 pure electric vehicles in 2020. Among emerging automakers, NIO delivered 43,700 vehicles cumulatively in 2020, still a far cry from 100,000 units. Therefore, it seems that SAIC Volkswagen is under considerable pressure to achieve nearly 90,000 unit sales in the remaining nine months of this year.
At the same time, Volkswagen’s traditional dual-car strategy is also posing a significant challenge for the ID.4 X. Just a few days ago, FAW-Volkswagen launched the ID.4 CROZZ. To be frank, the two vehicles of the ID.4 series have many similarities and share the same starting point in terms of competition. If ID.4 X wants to stand out, it will likely face considerable pressure.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.