Volkswagen ID.4 wins World Car of The Year crown

Volkswagen ID.4 received its biggest push in the company's bid to challenge the might of Tesla when the electric vehicle was crowned as the 2021 World Car of The Year. This is for the first time that an electric car from Volkswagen has managed to win the title although previous years have seen other models taking top honours on several occasions - Golf in 2009 and 2013, Polo in 2010 and up! in 2011.

Volkswagen ID.4 managed to beat a number of other contenders en route to the title and may once again underline the German car maker's determination to play a bigger role in the world of electric mobility. Having manufactured more than 10,000 units - a requirement for any model to be considered for this particular title, Volkswagen has bet big on ID.4 to be a volume driver in markets where it is offered and will be subsequently brought in. "The World Car of the Year award marks a great success for our entire ID. Team," said Thomas Ulbrich, Board Member for Development at the Volkswagen brand. "We have succeeded in developing a car that starts the system change to e-mobility in the world's most important segment of compact SUVs and offers excellent everyday usability."

Volkswagen is betting big on ID.4 SUV to pave its way into the EV world.

A rival to Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID.4 has a battery that stores up to 77 kWh of energy (net) and has a claimed per-charge range of around 520 kilometres. The EV claims to hit 100kmph in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 160 kmph. Additionally, a ground clearence of 21 cms means Volkswagen is also making big claims when it comes to the e-SUV's off-road capabilities.

What is also helping its cause is that ID.4 is an e-SUV and has striking looks to appeal to prospective buyers. LED matrix headlights, new 3D LED tail light clusters and wheels with a diameter of up to 21 inches - all seek to give it a rather attractive and purposeful visual character.

Based on Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) architecture, ID.4 also claims to have a lot of space on the inside while getting a number of notable features. The luggage compartment itself has 543 litres of space which can be expanded to 1,575 litres. The equipment range of the ID.4 includes an electrically driven boot lid, roof railing and a towing bracket. There are two display screens and physical buttons are nearly absent.

Volkswagen is looking at delivering around 150,000 ID.4 units across the world this year. This is part of the company's strategy to accelerate production and sales of electric vehicles in several countries. India, however, isn't on the list of priority markets just yet. Speaking to HT Auto earlier, Volkswagen India's Brand Director Ashish Gupta highlighted that the support infrastructure isn't quite in place here. (Read more here)