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By Andrew Krok, Roadshow
Sometimes, news doesn't make its way to the surface through traditional channels -- sometimes, it's discovered almost a week later, buried in an automaker's board member's tweets.
Jürgen Stackmann, VW's board member in charge of sales and marketing, tweeted on Dec. 6 that the electric I.D. hatchback will tout a VW-estimated 342-mile range on the WLTP cycle, which is the new standard Europe uses to measure economy. This is VW's internal estimate, so it's possible that the actual WLTP figure could be a bit higher or lower, but it should be pretty close.
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There is no specific formula to convert WLTP economy estimates to US-friendly EPA numbers. Carscoops, which first reported on Stackmann's tweet, believes that the I.D. hatchback's range will be closer to 290 miles when measured by EPA standards. That's still plenty, considering Stackmann's tweet also claims the I.D. will cost about as much as a current diesel Golf.
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The diesel Golf is available in a variety of trims, so the cost can vary -- between $27,000 and $39,000, by Carscoops' estimates (converted from euros, since they're not available in the US anymore). Even nearing the higher end of those estimates, that would pit the I.D. hatchback directly against the Tesla Model 3 in the US, which has similar range estimates. By the time the I.D. makes it to the US, though, it'll have additional competition by way of the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, both of which also promise similar range figures for about the same cost.
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While the I.D. hatchback will be the first EV in VW's new I.D. lineup to land in Europe, things are different in the US. Since we can't get enough crossovers at the moment, our first I.D. will be the I.D. Crozz, followed by others like the Buzz microbus and the aforementioned hatchback. Patience is a virtue.
